Deutero-Canon: Genesis
by DiLost
Summary: It was a Gathering of Heroes, the first step that marked its Descent to Madness. Ruler and Avenger, Radiant Archer and Sabers of Red and Blue. With Heavens as its witness, the curtain rises for the Third Holy Grail War.


**Dilost & Ame no Kagaseo, presents:**

**The tale of Deuterocanonical Third Holy Grail War.**

**It was a Gathering of Heroes, the first step that marked its Descent to Madness. Ruler and Avenger, Radiant Archer and Sabers of Red and Blue. With Heavens as its witness, the curtain rises for the Third Holy Grail War. **

* * *

**Deutero-Canon: Genesis**

**Day 0 Holy Grail War: Summoning**

Deep within the heart of Germany, in Bravaria, the inception of a miracle would take place. A tall castle that reached up towards the heavens, an impenetrable fortress in the ever-snowing land.

The archaic grandfather clock struck midnight, the hour of mischief and darkness.

Jubstacheit von Einzbern stood silently in the expanse of the foyer. One of his many descendants, a young child barely into his twenties had been chosen to fight for the revelation of their lost miracle.

Heaven's Feel; the Materialization of the Soul. The Third True Magic.

The boy begun chanting, and Acht watched with cold blue eyes.

_"Das material ist aus Argentum and Eisen._

_Der Grundstein ist aus Stein _

_und dem GroBherzog des Vertrag..."_

A ring of candles surrounded the altar, throwing writhing shadows to the walls. Atop the pristine marble, a massive crimson circle had been drawn, comprising of arcane sigils and symbols of power. Freshly spilled blood, still warm and rich in prana was the ink that was used in drawing the summoning script.

_"Der Ahn ist mein groBer- _

_Master Schweinorg._

_Schutz gegen, einen heftigen Wind."_

In the middle of the circle was an old, leather bound book. Old man Act had to pay a small fortune to acquire it from the Sultan of Turkey, an act which unwittingly consolidated their stand with that fascist fool, Adolf.

_"SchlieB alle Tore, _

_geh aus der Krone,_

_Zirkulier die Gabelung nach dem König."_

They had lost the first and second war, due to the incompetency of the summoned Heroic Spirits.

No more. The Einzbern had waited for nearly two centuries. This time, victory was assured.

For their champion would be a God.

_füll, füll, füll, füll, füll_

A noble phantasm that existed in the modern world; that was their catalyst.

The Book of Zoroaster; Avesta: Universal Revelation of Inscribed Creation.

_"Es wird funfmal wieder holt,_

_Nur ist es die volle Zeit gebrochen."_

A Hero? No, far from it. Their monster was a being tainted in the darkness of humanity, an entity who devours all. The veritable God of Darkness Himself, he who terrorised ancient Persia.

_"__－__Satz."_

Being the true owners of the Grail, it was not beyond the reach of the Einzbern to create new systems. The class of Avenger, tailor-made for their Servant like a fine suit of Armor.

The final lines of the aria was spoken by the boy. Nearby, the Homunculi who served as prana sources twitched.

It was coming.

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power,_

_Arrive from the ring of deterrance,_

_A life of bloodshed, ideals tainted by hatred,_

_"O Deliverer of Vengeance-!"_

The Einzbern master felt, more than saw his Servant come to the war.

An entity that transcended mortality, clawing on his soul to return to the Impure World.

The entity had dark, midnight hair, framed by a crimson scarf tied loosely. It was a male...child. His entire body was a canvas, depicting unspeakable sins of mankind. Pearly white teeth and obsidian eyes stared back viciously.

But...this, child...didn't feel like a god...

"I, am Servant Avenger. You who have called upon me, I ask of you...

...are you my Master?"

* * *

Not for the first time in his life, Kotomine Risei wondered what is wrong with the Church.

While he was proud of his belief, and had done many services under the name of God, there were many within the Church who are more experienced than him.

And yet, here he was, inside a church, in the middle of a developing city, Fuyuki, chosen to act as a supervisor in a War to obtain the false Grail of Christ.

And he even had to summon a... 'Servant' for it.

In front of him was a magic circle, made by their... requester, the Einzbern. The family of magus hailing from Germany.

The Einzbern claimed that it would summon Servant that would best suit him.

Shrugging, he decided to try, reading the chants to summon a Servant from the paper Einzbern gave him, he summoned his Servant.

Unfortunately, he was unaware of one fact. The Einzbern has tampered the magic circle.

In their desperation to win the Grail War, the family tried to sabotage other Masters, and being someone who lack knowledge of magic, Kotomine Risei was a prime target.

The changes made in the magic circle insured that the Servant Risei summoned would become a Servant who does not have their 'Class' attribute.

A Servant not among the Seven Classes, neither Saber, nor Archer. Not Lancer or Rider. Not a Caster, but not a Berserker. Not even Assassin.

Still, Kotomine Risei continued the chant, unaware of this.

As he reached the last line of the chant, the church exploded in light.

Risei raised his hands to block the light, and then as the light began to dissipate, he saw his Servant.

A man with tanned skin and white hair. His clothes were black with red coat around his body. But in his hands was a book familiar to Risei, the Bible.

The Servant opened his eyes and watched him with curiosity.

For a moment, neither spoke a single word.

Then the Servant opened his mouth, "A Japanese... priest? Has things progressed that far in the future? Why did you summon me?" His eyebrow raised, signifying his amusement and confusion.

Risei's eyebrow rose, not unlike his 'Servant', "I am Kotomine Risei, a priest, sent by the Church to supervise the Holy Grail War. And you are the Heroic Spirit I summoned to assist me in my task."

It was strange. The Einzbern said that the Heroic Spirit would already know why he or she was summoned, they should have known about the Grail War. But... this Servant seemed to be different.

The Servant smiled, "I see... the Holy Grail War... Indeed, this must be what they call blessing in disguise. I swore to return in a hundred years, and I did. Worry not Master, I shall assist you, I am Ruler, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Let us work together to win the war."

It was a declaration of pure confidence, this spirit in front of Risei was both charismatic and powerful. The way he worded it was not like a Servant, but of a leader who comforted his follower.

Like an Emperor, a Ruler indeed. He recognized the name, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Leader of Shimabara Rebellion.

A fifteen years old boy, who some believed to be illegitimate son of Toyotomi Hideyori. The Heaven's Messenger, a boy who was said to be able to perform Miracles not unlike followers of God in the Bible.

He lead his army and managed to held the shogunate army back from invading his castle. Yet, one of his follower betrayed him and sold information to the imperial army, leading to the rebels defeat and massacre.

Amakusa Shirou was executed, his head put on display as an example to other rebels. It is said that his last words were,

'I shall return after 100 years and take my revenge.'

Similar to the words that this Heroic Spirit uttered. And he had no reason to lie.

It appeared that this Hero was truly the Saint to Catholic Christian of Japan, Messenger of Heavenly Kingdom, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.

However...

"...but I'm not here to win the war, you know?" Risei said to his Servant, blinking.

And the youthful face of the saint was transformed into confusion, "...eh?"

* * *

Jubstacheit von Einzbern was not pleased.

They made preparations, even manipulated the rules of Heaven's Feel to summon a God, a Servant who would be able to destroy the others without much problem.

But they failed. Instead it summoned a human spirit, a terribly weak spirit that was a shame to the name, Angra-Mainyu.

"Lord Acht, what must we do now?" One of the Einzbern asked him.

"...do what you will with 'it'," He commanded, refusing to dignify this worthless being by calling it by its name.

They have lost their chance in this Holy Grail War. His only hope is that the War would end without winner just like the previous one.

What Jubstacheit failed to realize is that, while the Einzbern managed to successfully temper with the Grail War, the summoning done by Kotomine Risei at the same time caused the Grail to react.

It detected a violation to its rules, an attempt to summon something that was not a Hero. To counteract this breach, it summoned an existence that would be tasked to supervise the Grail War, it replaced the class Rider, with Ruler. Just like how it was made to replace Berserker with an Avenger.

It was an act that marked the end of a pure Heaven's Feel Ritual. And started its descend to madness.

* * *

The head of Tohsaka family stood in front of a magic circle, a complicated magic circle with a golden earring at its center.

_" Das Material ist aus Silber und Eisen._

_Der Grundstein ist aus Stein und dem Großherzog des Vertrag._

_Der Ahn ist mein großer Meister Schweinorg."_

The black haired man began, his eyes burned with both excitement and desire.

_"Schutz gegen einen heftigen Wind._

_Schließ alle Tore, _

_geh aus der Krone, _

_zirkulier die Gabelung nach dem König."_

Finally, the day is here. All of his life, all of his study, all of them, is for this Event, this War.

_"Füll, füll, füll, füll, füll."_

He will now become a participant of a War.

_"Es wird fünfmal wiederholt.__"_

A magus, seeking the Root.

_"Nur ist es die volle Zeit gebrochen."_

One of Seven, who will sacrifice others for their own ambition.

_"__－__Satz."_

A Master.

_"Du überläßt alles mir, mein Schicksal überläßt alles deinem Schwert."_

And now, with the Golden Earring he found in the deepest tomb in India, he will summon his Servant.

_"Das basiert auf dem Gral,_

_antwort wenn du diesem Willen und diesem Vernunftgrund folgst."_

He knew of his Servant's identity from the start. The Demigod of the Sun, the Cursed Warrior of Mahabharata, the Hero of Generosity.

_"Liegt das Gelübde hier._

_Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt._

_Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt."_

The man who could slay Gods with his spear.

The man who chose Loyalty over his own life.

The man who stayed on the side of his friend, even as the world stand against them, even as their army laid in ruins.

Who else could he trust in this War but a Hero such as he?

_"Du bist der Himmel mit dreien Wortseelen._

_Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdrückung,_

_der Schutzgeist der Balkenwaage__－__!"_

And thus, as light filled the dark room, Tohsaka caught glimpses of a white haired man, his golden armor and earring glowed as bright as the sun within this dark dungeon.

And he knew he had succeed.

The man with golden earring stood, calmly watching his summoner. And then, he spoke.

"I ask you, summoner. Are you my Master?"

The head of Tohsaka could only nod. It is said that the King of Gods, Indra was humbled by the man, the Hero before him. And just from hearing a sentence, he understood what the King felt.

This man's words were neither respectful nor disrespectful. It contained no love or hate. This man simply accepted everything as a fact, as 'life'.

Perhaps it is the meaning of being a 'Hero', it felt as if none he met in his life, even the Master of Clocktower and his own ancestor could match this man.

"Yes, I am your Master," He answered.

The hero nodded with a smile, "Then, I pledge my bow, my spear, and my life to you. I shall fight for your life, your honor, and your goal. I am Archer, Servant of Bow, a pleasure to meet you, Master."

Tohsaka could only nod. To him, this war is already over before it began. For he could not imagine a Hero greater than the one in front of him.

* * *

The town of Harjavalta. A quaint, merchant town situated in Southern Finland. It was the residence of many notable families of Finnish merchants. But amongst all these houses and mansions, a single grand castle towered over the rest.

"Are you sure you're ready, my dear children?" asked a middle-aged man with a fancy mustache.

He stood in an empty room of his ancestral home, the Edelfelt castle. In front of him stood two girls; their blonde hair the same shade as his own.

"Of course we're ready, father! Let's begin the damned ritual already!" whined the younger blonde, teenage girl.

The older blonde, a woman in her early twenties held herself in a more demure, aristocratic posture when compared to her younger sibling.

"Patience is a virtue, little sister. Besides, we probably are the first to attempt summoning a servant- not counting those Einzberns of course."

On the floor of the room, numerous arcane symbols congregated to form a perfect circle. Every script had been double and triple-checked. There was no reason to delay anymore.

With a mutual nod, the Edelfelt sisters begun chanting.

_"Let silver and steel be thy essence,_

_Let stone and the arch duke of contracts be thy foundation..."_

The head of the Edelfelt watched carefully, as his daughters recited the ten-count aria.

The Edelfelt were a somewhat respectable line of Finnish magi, specializing in Jewel-magecraft and rapid curse casting.

_"Let red be the colour I say homage to,_

_Let rise a wall against the winds that shall fall..."_

Recently, they had gotten the miraculous opportunity to participate in the Holy Grail war; the closest method to reach the Root that the modern world has seen in centuries.

But each of the families that took part in the war were ancient, dangerous opponents. Ordinarily, it'd be something like suicide to fight them head on.

The Einzbern. A powerful family of German alchemists who outshone even the noble House of Eltnam itself. The Makiri, an infamous family line that practised horrifying, parasitic familiar creation, and other disgusting branches of magecraft.

_"Let the four cardinal gates close,_

_Let the three forked road from the crown, _

_reaching unto the kingdom, rotate..."_

Then, the Tohsaka. A prodigous line of Japanese magi who also practised Jewel-magecraft and high speed curse casting.

But the Edelfelts had an edge.

Ore Scales. A Sorcery Trait unique to their lineage, that allowed two heirs to inherit the family magecraft instead of a singular one.

Their command seals had appeared a few weeks ago. Two sets; one for each sister.

_"Let it be filled again. Again. Again. Again..."_

The war was as good as theirs. And the incredible catalyst they had obtained was just the icing on the cake.

In the middle of the circle, a piece of ordinary wood rested.

_"Let it be filled fivefold for every turn..."_

No, calling it 'ordinary' would be an insult to its origins. This piece of wood bears witness to perhaps, Europe's finest congregation of heroes.

_"Simply breaking asunder with every filling._

_O keeper of balance, I call upon thee-!"_

That piece of wood, once up on a time, was a part of the Round Table- the very core of Arthurian legend.

The younger Edelfelt sister grimaced, as she felt a massive hit on her prana supply.

Slowly, a figure materialized.

It belonged to a woman, having beautifully proportionate curves beneath a crimson and white armor. A menacing, horned helmet served on her head, hiding her identity.

"Hm? I...am Servant Saber." said the Servant in a brash, yet feminine tone. "You, runt. Are you my master?"

The younger Edelfelt was about to reply, but suddenly stopped, staring dumbly at something behind Saber.

With a flourish, a Servant clad in a silver, androgynnous armor with a blue ensemble beneath. A helmet completely identical to that of Saber rested on her head.

"I am Servant Saber...

...I ask of you, milady. Are you my Master?"

The second, Blue servant had an air of royalty and honor that pressed down on everyone in the room- barring the other Servant.

"Oi oi, I'm the one who's Saber." snarled the red Servant. "And that's my helmet."

Slowly, the red Servant unsheathed her blade. The coppery smell of blood filled the air, as if the sword was bloody and rusted. However, the ornate silver blade looked pristine.

"The punishment for impostors...

...is death!" screamed the red Servant, leaping towards her counterpart.

"How rude," spoke the blue clad servant. "And arrogant. To believe that you can kill me... How preposterous."

The Blue clad servant smoothly drew her blade, parrying a blow from her counterpart. The entire room seemed to get a little brighter, as the silver sword glowed faintly white.

The three Edelfelt simultaneously blinked.

This...was a surprising turn of events.

* * *

"So we're both the same person..."

"It seems so..."

The two servants were eating at an identical monstrous pace, rapidly destroying the Edelfelt castle's food reserves.

"So, introduce yourselves," said the older Edelfelt sister.

With a nod of affirmation, the Saber clad in blue and silver armor rose. She took off her helmet, revealing her otherworldy beauty. Emerald green eyes and golden blonde hair glowed faintly in the candlelight.

"I am Sir Mordred of the Royal House of Pendragon, son of His Majesty, King Altria Pendragon."

A thick red mist erupted, as the other Saber growled.

"...what the hell did you just say? I dare you... to repeat it..."

* * *

"Go and join the Holy Grail War. I do not ask for your victory, merely for the Grail. After locating the Grail, wait for my commands."

He cursed his luck. Out of all members of Yggdmillennia family, why was he the one sent here, to this battlefield of Heroes?

Why do I have to do this?! He asked himself. But Darnic had given him an order, and he must do it for the honor of his family.

He turned towards the Servant he had summoned, a man wearing black robe on his body and white skull mask.

The Assassin, Hassan-i-Sabbah. He supposed that this was a lucky break for him.

He didn't have to win the war, he didn't have to participate. And Assassin is the best Servant for that. Their stealth was unmatched.

"Follow me," He told the Servant, "We are waiting for the right time to join the war."

The Assassin nodded, but he felt as if the Servant was looking down on him. As if saying 'Obviously, who do you think I am?'

He wondered if he should use his Command Seal to ensure absolute obedience form the Assassin.

Then he decided, no, if Darnic learned that he used his Command Seal just for something like that, he would be... disposed of.

* * *

**Day 1, Holy Grail War: Beginning**

A tall, lean man wearing a red T-shirt and black jeans walked through the morning crowd of Fuyuki. His silver hair glowed in the light of the morning. Golden earrings gently swayed with each step he took.

_'The Land of the Rising Sun. Truly, a fitting place for one such as myself.'_

Wistfully, the man reached his hands out towards the sky, where the golden sun hung with all his glory.

_'Father, can you see me?'_ he wondered. The sun seemed to shine more brightly for a moment.

Smiling slightly, the Hero of Generosity continued on his silent exploration of the modern world.

* * *

The sun was setting. It was time. There was a Servant out there, wandering freely. It was a challenge, Saber knew it.

"Master? We're sitting like dumb ducks because your elder sister said so?" she whined.

After a moment of contemplation, the younger sister gave a frustrated groan. "Ugh, I'm sick of waiting too! That sister of mine... always acting like an old hag." Then she turned towards her Servant, "Saber..." A violent glint appeared in her eyes.

"...go get them!"

With a manic grin beneath her helm, Saber leapt off the boundary of the castle. Her violent temper was already snapping, as every waking moment her mind was occupied with the thoughts of the other Saber.

_"I am Sir Mordred, of the Royal House of Pendragon. The son of His Majesty, King Altria Pendragon."_

_'...the son of His Majesty, King Altria Pendragon...'_

With a snarl, Saber kicked a tree, making it explode into a shower of splinters.

Taking deep breaths, the red and white armored Knight controlled her rage. That Servant, the one who was striding around boldly...

...he'd take the brunt of her frustrations.

* * *

It was his Master's will, that he wander the battlefield, to draw in a Servant like a moth to flame. That man had given him this opportunity at living in the mortal world once more, however short it may be. He would repay his debt, by bringing the Grail to the Tohsaka.

And now, he would meet his first opponent of the war. A fellow Heroic Spirit, one that transcended death by living on in legend.

"Orraaa!"

Like a stampeding bull, a Servant charged out of the treeline of the park he was in, swinging a broken tree trunk like a club.

The tree trunk smashed into the ground, creating a crater where Archer stood moments ago. In a blur, he reappeared atop the trunk and raced forward, his white hair shifting back in the wind.

"You possess an innate strength, woman. But no grace. Your mind is conflicted with hatred," he spoke calmly, while dancing around furious blows.

"Shut the fuck up! I'll kill you!" growled the female Servant. Her violent expression was hidden by the helmet, but it did not matter to Archer.

Discernment of the Poor, a skill which defined the core of his character. Raised without the corruption of human nature, he could discern a person's character and see the depths of their soul at a single glance. His blunt cold demeanor and blunt honesty in life spurned many; people did not like their faults pointed out at them.

Saber's rage was increasing, as her opponent completely outmanuvered her in hand to hand combat. Despite having stats similar to her, he was overwhelming her with lightning fast blows-which hurt a lot for just C ranked Strength.

"Stay still, damn it!" said the Servant who could only be Saber. She was slowly unsheathing a beautiful silver blade which reflected the light of the moon.

Despite the sword's beauty, its nature as a bloodthirsty monster would be obvious to those who knew how to see such things.

"If you wish for me to stay still, perhaps I can oblige, Servant Saber."

The darkness of the night was washed away, as the man's body glowed with the radiance of the Sun. His red shirt burned away, as light itself took a solid form, defying the laws of nature.

_'O Sun, Become Armor...'_

His one true possession since childhood, taken away from him by Indra before his death.

The armor that his great father Surya blessed him with, allowing him to battle alone against hundreds and win, unharmed.

_"...Kavacha, Kundala."_

A golden armor covered his physique. Its shape and beauty were unnatural, beyond anything created by mortal hands. A cape of fire given material form bellowed behind him.

Saber's blade carried the essence of darkness; but darkness cannot exist in the presence of the radiant sun.

The sword bounced of Archer's armor. There was not a scratch. In a fluid motion, the child of the Sun parried Saber's swing with the arm guard of his left hand, and slammed an open palm into her stomach.

_'Saber retreat! He's too powerful!'_

The female warrior winced, feeling her bruises. There was even a burn mark on her tender stomach. Fighting with this man reminded her of her battles with her graceful Father, who would always overwhelm her eventually.

_'...yeah,'_ she sighed.

With a last hateful glance at the warrior with golden armor, Saber escaped. The battle hadn't lasted even ten minutes.

_'Whoever that Servant was... _

_...he is powerful. We need...the Other Me to fight him,'_ thought Saber.

_'I do not like this...'_ replied her master.

* * *

Through his Servant's eyes, the Master of Archer observed the entire battle.

Truly, the sight of Karna's radiance would be one that he would forever remember.

_'You are quite the noble man are you not, Master. You held back from ordering me to pursue.'_

Tohsaka didn't reply to his Servants mental speech. He merely nursed the glass of wine in his hands.

_'Values of honor and goodwill are deeply ingrained in your soul. It is the reason why I heeded your call, after all.'_

A touch of respect was present in Karna's usually cold voice.

Tohsaka smiled. It was only the first night of the war, after all. No need to rush...

* * *

Servant Ruler sat in a table outside one of the many cafes in the Fuyuki market district. In front of him, his young master slowly sipped on a cup of tea.

"So they even have a Cardinal from Japan at the Vatican?" asked the curious Heroic Spirit.

The modern world wasn't what he expected. It was actually... quite amazing.

The Lord's religion had spread throughout the country, resulting in numerous Churches to be built in various cities.

"Yes, there is a Cardinal from Japan. Many members of the Necessarius hail from our land." replied Risei.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, the young priest looked at Ruler with a speculative stare.

"You're heralded as a Saint you know." spoke the priest in a low voice.

"The teenage leader of the Shimabara rebellion; the one who rose up against the corruption that was the Shogunate. A devout believer of our Lord, blessed with the Lord's miracles. The tragic hero of every Japanese Christian."

Both Master and Servant smiled for a moment.

"It feels nice, to see this world again. The Lord has heard my prayers; and here I am, a century later."

Kotomine Risei settled down the empty cup. He looked at Ruler, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The Lord works in mysterious ways..."

"Indeed..." trailed off Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, while staring at a small crowd gathering around a foreign man, who seemed to be reciting...poetry?

_"I love her, I love her not..._

_I loathe her, I loathe her not..."_

Amakusa's brow twitched. Was that...? No way...

_"All the world's a stage,_

_And all the men and women merely players:_

_They have their exits and their entrances;_

_And one man in his time plays many parts,_

_His acts being seven ages."_

People cheered and clapped at the man, who had just flawlessly recited one of Shakespeare's plays in perfect English.

Risei followed Amakusa's gaze.

"Oh, that's Mr. Will. He's been coming here since the last week, reciting various plays of Shakespeare. He's quite good huh? Though it's apparent that the Lord forgot some of the screws of his head..."

Amakusa sighed, dragging a hand through his mane of white hair.

He had no idea how, but William Shakespeare had somehow managed to return to the living world as Servant Caster.

"Ooh, I LOVE JAPAN!" shouted the legendary playwriter, as various girls of Homurahara Gakuen's poetry club asked to get into his pants.

'No...I'm not seeing this...yeah, it is all in my imagination', despaired Ruler.

"YES MADAME, LETS DO PAIZURI!"

* * *

"Gwaah!" Avenger shouted in pain as he was blown away by his opponent.

"Shouldn't you stop struggling already? You are making this painful for both of us," His opponent, the red robed Servant told him, as if speaking to a child.

"Shut up, bastard!" Avenger shouted, he summoned his Tawrich and Zawrich to his hands.

The other Servant sighed, "Master, this is getting annoying... Do you have any weapon I can borrow?" He asked the Supervisor of the war.

Avenger heard his Master gasp, "Kotomine! You are the Master of this Servant? Call him off!"

The priest shook his head, "Unfortunately, you have chosen me to be this War's overseer. I cannot overlook the presence of your Servant, who seemed to be a violation of the rules. To think that you would summon the God of Evil..." The priest gazed at his Master with eyes filled with disappointment.

The Einzbern winced, "That doesn't matter! Who told you about Avenger's identity?!"

"I did," The white haired Servant facing him answered, "I am Ruler, the judge, jury and observer of this Holy Grail War. Is there a problem?"

"...R-Ruler?" His Master questioned, "There wasn't a class like that! What did you do, Kotomine?!"

Risei sighed, "I simply summoned my Servant, with the circle and chant that you have prepared for me. Perhaps God saw my plight and sent me Ruler to assist my task."

The Einzbern growled, "Avenger! Crush them!"

He stood back up, soon, it would be time for him to reveal his Noble Phantasm.

"Master, weapons?" On the other side, the Servant, Ruler, asked his Master.

The priest threw his Servant two swords, shaped like cross. The Black Keys, the knowledge from the Holy Grail supplied him.

The Ruler nodded, "This should be enough, thanks." Then the Servant turned towards him, "Now then, Servant Avenger, your existence is a breach to the rules of Holy Grail War." The Ruler raised one of the sword, pointing towards him.

"As the Judge of this War, I pronounce your punishment..." The Ruler disappeared.

"Death," The Observer of the War declared, appearing in front of Avenger, swinging his swords.

As the swords began to strike him, Avenger shouted, _"Verg Avesta!"_

The Ruler ceased his movement, "...I see..." The robed Servant let out a grunt.

Avenger smirked, it worked. His Noble Phantasm, Verg Avesta, possess the ability to reflect any damage he took to the attacker. Since the Servant before him had slashed his right arm, he should have felt the same pain.

It cannot be healed by normal means. It could only be healed when Avenger himself was healed or unconscious.

"...the literal ability of making others see the 'Evils of this World'..." The Ruler began.

Avenger began to sweat, could it be that his opponent managed to figure out his Noble Phantasm that easily?

"A variation of the book, Avesta: The Universal Revelation of Inscribed Creation," Ruler continued.

He knows! In panic, Avenger swung his weapons, but it was blocked by the Black Keys.

"Any wound I inflict, will be reflected to me. It cannot be healed, it cannot be purified. Only by healing you, or eliminating you, can I break this curse," The Servant stated calmly.

Avengers tried to break the deadlock but the Ruler simply swung his swords, sending him flying to the tree.

Being a sacrifice, designated to be the All World's Evil. Angra-Mainyu's body was weak, weaker than most Heroic Spirit. And while he realize that his enemy was not particularly strong, it was enough to overpower him.

"Truly, it is a fitting Noble Phantasm. For a nameless human who was sacrificed to bear All Evils in the World," Ruler spoke as he walked closer towards Angra-Mainyu.

Avenger growled, "Shut u-"

But he was cut off by his opponent, "Your existence is not to be hated, but to be pitied. However, for the sake of mankind's Salvation, your Sacrifice, was necessary." The Ruler stabbed the two Black Keys to both of Avengers arms, wincing as the damage was reflected by the Verg Avesta.

Avenger began to struggle, "If you stab me, you will feel the same pain!" He shouted to the other Servant.

The Ruler smiled, a soft smile that Avenger could easily discern as a fake one.

"Worry not, I do not plan to stab you. Indeed, I will give you a Salvation."

Wha-

_"I kill, I give life. I injure, I heal. There are none who escape from my hands. There are none who escape from my eyes."_ The Ruler began as he closed his eyes, his left hand placed on Avenger's head.

What is he doing?

_"May it be so that you are shattered."_

Avenger's eyes went shut as he felt strange pain intruding his body.

_"I welcome the defeated, the aged. Surrender to me, learn from me, obey me."_

And as the rite continued, Avenger felt as if his head was assaulted by multiple pounding headaches.

_"May you be at rest."_

Avenger screamed. The pain! It grew stronger!

_"Do not forget the song, do not forget the prayer, do not forget me. I relieve you of all burdens."_

The Ruler opened his eyes and gave him a smile, as if saying 'Is this your limit?' As if mocking him.

_"May it be so that there is no deception."_

Avenger wanted to scream that the worst liar was in front of him. That the words he uttered was just that, words.

_"Retaliation unto forgiveness, betrayal unto belief, despair unto hope, darkness unto light, death unto life."_

But then, the pain continued, it grew stronger. Then, the Ruler's eyes grew cold. The robed Servant grabbed his face with his right arm.

_"May you rest in my hands. Let there be mark of your sins. Eternal life is found only in death."_

The hand glowed, and slowly, Avenger could feel the pain leaving, together with his life.

_"Forgiveness is before you, and so my incarnation vows."_

He understood. This creature before him, was even more 'evil' than he. Because while he is destructive, he did not heal. This creature before him Devour with his right arm, and Heal with his left hand.

On his enemy, was a face of both Angel and Devil. With his fading consciousness, he barely heard the last words the 'monster' chanted.

_"May God have mercy on this soul, Kyrie Eleison."_

And with the last words of the Baptism Rite, the Servant Angra-Mainyu, Avenger of the Third Holy Grail War, ceased moving.

"Amen," The Ruler made a motion of praying to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as he stood before Avenger's fading body, as if giving final farewell to the deceased.

And with that, the Holy Grail War claimed its first Soul.

A Soul that marked the start of its corruption.

* * *

Kotomine Risei made his way to the front door of the old, archaic mansion.

Truly, the sheer number of secret castles and mansions belonging to various magus families in Fuyuki were amazing.

Still, Risei felt slightly nervous, as the master of Archer had actually invited him into his base of operations- something no other master did.

Knock, Knock.

"...coming!" yelled a distant male voice. Soon, the ornate oak doors parted, revealing reigning head of the Tohsaka family.

"Ah, Kotomine-san. Please, welcome to my humble abode..." said the dark haired Japanese magus.

_'...humble abode?'_ thought Risei. He could observe numerous high grade paintings and ornaments everywhere. Risei's ass felt like it had died and gone to heaven once he sat on the plushy, couch. He caught sight of a photo of the Tohsaka's head, with a woman and a child. _'His wife and child?'_

"As you know, I am the Church Supervisor of this war..."

* * *

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada leaped from rooftop to rooftop, in search of the elusive Archer. Even though the Servant of the Bow had been the most active and visible Servant in the war, Amakusa had somehow missed him every time he searched. He kept on finding other pairs of master and servants in his stead...

As a Servant of the Ruler Class, Amakusa could easily summon every Servant to his location with the Command Spells accessible to him...

...but where was the fun in that?

Wandering around and meeting other Heroic Spirits in dramatic situations...yes, this certainly was a far better option.

Abovehead, on the top of a billboard, sat the target of his journey. A man with features quite similar to Ruler.

"Hello there... Archer," he greeted.

"Hm...who are you?" asked Archer.

* * *

**Day 2, Holy Grail War: The Lancer's Fall**

Karna's feet skidded on the grass, "...what a powerful blow..." He commented as he watched his opponent. A man wearing Chinese armor and holding a halberd, the Houtengageki. It was a weapon wielded by a certain military general of Three Kingdoms Era.

Lu Bu Fengxian.

While figuring out the Servant's identity was a simple matter, fighting him was not.

Karna was summoned as an Archer, and so, his weapon was a bow. If he was summoned as a Lancer, then he would wield a spear as his main weapon. Then again, if he WAS the Lancer of this war, then he would not face Lu Bu. But as it stands now, he has no close range weapon.

No, that was not true, there is a weapon he could use, but the sacrifice required to use it is too great.

He was confident in his skill with bow, and he believed that if he could place some distance between them, he would win. The problem is...

A horse's neigh was heard. And a horse with red mane moved beside Lu Bu.

The Lancer mounted it, "Go, Red Hare!"

It was fast, Karna noted as he jumped away, firing multiple arrows towards the opposing Servant. The horse simply moved around his shots.

He wondered if the horse was just naturally fast, or was it the nature of Red Hare as Noble Phantasm.

Seeing the horse growing closer, the Archer changed his strategy.

_"God Force: Sweep!"_ The Houtengageki in Lu Bu's hands transformed, the two side blades rotated itselves into a set of a curved blade.

The General of Repetition swung, and Karna jumped, spinning above Lu Bu's head and firing several arrows, which the Lancer blocked by swinging his transformed weapon.

Karna landed on the ground, "So it seems that you are able to transform your weapon..." He commented. "Impressive," He praised while preparing his bow for another shot.

Lu Bu smirked, "And you are able to evade my God Force, even when I'm riding Red Hare. Not only that, if not for my friend, Red Hare, your arrows would have struck my core multiple times. You are no mere Archer."

Karna laughed softly, "Such a praise, coming from someone who managed to strike the tip of a halberd with an arrow."

The Lancer laughed and ordered his steed to charge once more. His weapon changing once more, the blade moving to a side, creating a one sided sword.

Karna moved his bow to a striking position. If he could avoid the Lancer's slash and fire a Brahmastra immediately, he should be able to win.

However, just as he was about to leap to avoid the Lancer's swing, a sound of steel hitting each other echoed.

* * *

"Are you unharmed, Archer?" Mordred asked the white haired Archer.

She was commanded by her Master to observe the battlefield. After watching the two Servants exchange blows, her Master deemed that Lancer is currently more dangerous.

While she was not slow, Archer was more agile than her, and yet, he failed to land a critical blow to the Lancer. That steed was the reason.

The Noble Phantasm, Red Hare. It was a surprising sight to see a class other than Rider summoning a mount.

As long as Lancer possess Red Hare, he has the potential to be the most dangerous Servant in this war.

A great strength, an agile horse, and a versatile weapon.

"Saber?" The Archer seemed to recognize her. Perhaps he met her Other before? But it seemed that he had yet to figure out that she is not the same Saber.

While she disagreed with using trickery to win the war, she should keep her dual nature a secret. And even if she allowed a few things slip, her Noble Phantasm, Secret of Pedigree would make it difficult for Archer and his Master to figure out her identity.

"Indeed, it is I," Mordred nodded, "What do you say for a temporary truce, Archer?"

The Archer smiled, "Your assistance is appreciated."

* * *

"I shall parry his assault, Archer, attack when his guard is down," Saber declared.

Lu Bu laughed, "You do realize that I can hear your words, Saber? What makes you think I will let my guard down?"

Saber nodded, helmet obscuring her face, but as Karna met her before, he knew that she was a girl.

Her words were filled with confidence, "I will make you."

She jumped, swinging her silver sword down. Lu Bu raised his God Force, still in 'Slash' form, and met Saber's swing with it.

Karna wasted no time in shooting, making sure to aim at Lu Bu's blind side, he let loose two arrows, one to the Lancer and the other to his steed.

The Red Hare moved, sensing danger to its master, the sudden movement by the horse caused Saber's clash with Lancer to be halted. Unfortunately for the horse, the second arrow continued its course and hit the Red Hare on its leg.

Lu Bu, realizing that Red Hare was about to fall, deactivated his Noble Phantasm, returning Red Hare to where it came from. The Lancer landed on the ground, his eyes narrowing.

"That was quite disappointing, Archer. Why did you not use your Noble Phantasm?" Saber asked him.

Karna's eyebrow arched as he stared at her blankly, "You are my enemy. While we are in a truce right now, I will not reveal my identity that easily."

Saber nodded, accepting his reason, "Very well, at least you have neutralized his mount. Leave the final blow to me. I have a Noble Phantasm I can use without revealing my identity."

Now that was a surprise. Most Sabers' identity would be revealed simply by a sight of their Noble Phantasm. But this Knight told him that she possessed a Noble Phantasm that would not endanger her True Name?

No, what if he is looking at this from the wrong perspective? What if instead of 'not revealing her True Name', she possess something that 'Made her True Name impossible to be read?'

"Alright, I'll leave it to you then," Karna nodded. Then he allowed his bow to disappear into particles of light.

He would think of the Saber's identity later, for now, he should focus on fighting the Lancer.

Karna closed his eyes and summoned his Flames to his own body. He usually covers his weapons with it, but since he is fighting a close range battle and he could not use his spear...

The ground around Karna exploded in flames.

"Come, Lu Bu Fengxian. You shall not pass while I draw breath!"

* * *

Prana Burst... Mordred realized as she continued to gather her concentration and energy to use her Noble Phantasm.

The same ability that she and her 'father' possessed. However, while she and her 'father' used it to 'explode' the power gathered in their body, Archer's energy manifested as fire.

And it was no mere fire, she could feel the power it possessed. A Servant with weak magic resistance could easily be burned by it.

"Who is he?" Mordred asked herself.

His armor showed that he is not of her lands, and according to her Master, it seemeed to originate from Eastern country.

He possessed Flame Prana Burst, showing that he was familiar with magecraft or at least, able to use magecraft. Could it be that he is a demigod of a Fire God or Goddess?

Then, when Lu Bu's weapon that is now in the form of a blunt weapon met Archer's fist, the shockwave snapped her out of her thought.

"Saber, are you not ready yet?" Archer asked as he avoided the God Force. Without waiting for her reply, he punched Lu Bu's stomach.

Then, to her and Lancer's surprise, the part of Chinese armor that Archer struck was melting.

"This flame... are you an offspring of Zhurong?" The Lancer asked the white haired Servant.

"Unfortunately, you are mistaken. I am not a child of a Fire Deity," Archer replied calmly.

That crossed a few possible names on her list. Who could he be? But outwardly, she answered, "My preparation is complete, step aside!"

Mordred dashed, using her own Prana Burst to blast her towards Lancer. She took out her sword.

Realizing that she was about to attack, Lu Bu transformed his God Force into a bow. He readied the 'arrow'.

For the 'other' her, the use of this Noble Phantasm requires a price. The removal of Secret of Pedigree. This seemed to be caused by the 'other' Mordred's need to hide her identity from her 'father'.

However, for her who was accepted by 'father', who was recognized as the heir to the throne, there was no such penalty.

_"Gate Halberd Shot!_" Lu Bu released the 'arrow', and the bow fired a red beam of pure energy towards Mordred.

"For the Honor of My Beautiful Father," Mordred declared her weapon's name, her Birthright, "_Clarent Knight Arthur_!"

With a single swing, a surge of white energy was released from Clarent, the sword that her father gave her.

It was the proof of her blood. The proof of 'his' recognition. The symbol of Honor that she proudly carried with her.

Clarent, the Sword of Peace, cleaves through the God Force and struck Lu Bu without mercy.

Then, as suddenly as it happened, the light dissipated.

Both Saber and Archer watched as Lancer stood silent.

"That was an excellent attack..." Lu Bu began, "It's a pity that the two of you didn't live in my era. Perhaps, if someone like you were to fight with me..."

The General of Repetition, Lu Bu was someone who betrayed and killed his masters multiple times. Boasting his power, he lived without care of human rules and code of honor.

A beast, they called him. A monster.

Perhaps he was, his might in the battlefield was without equal. And that caused him to feel solitude.

He was alone, no one could stand with him in the battlefield.

So... why should he care of their rules? Of those weaklings' rules?

In the end, summoned into the Holy Grail War, facing opponents who could match him was perhaps the best gift Heaven could give him.

He finally found that he was not alone, that there were others who could stand on the same battlefield as him.

He recalled the words he uttered when he was alive, he smiled.

"Can anybody provide me with a decent challenge?" He asked, and then answered himself, "Yes, both of them can..."

With those last words, Man Among Men closed his eyes, in peace for the first time in his life.

The Servant of Lance, Lu Bu Fengxian has fallen.

* * *

"Damn, I'm too late!" Mordred, the Blood Soaked Knight, growled as she entered the clearings.

In front of her were the fake Saber and that bastard Servant with golden armor.

"...another Saber?" The only male Servant there questioned. "How curious..."

"You!" Mordred took out her sword, now that the 'other' her was here, it was the perfect chance to take down that Servant.

"Stand down, he is not our enemy, for now," That... bitch actually had the gall to order her. The fake wearing her face commanded her in a way that reminded her of her father.

"Shut up!" She shouted.

Throughout this, the white haired Servant simply watched with a curious eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I see... same sword, same armor. And yet, completely different personalities. It is as if you are different sides of a same coin. Either this is a Noble Phantasm or..."

Then he stopped speaking, his body language relaxing as he spoke with someone who was not here.

"Yes, I agree. Very well..." The Servant returned his attention towards them, "While it would be interesting to battle you right now, my Master has commanded me to retreat. I am Archer, may we meet again."

"Don't run!" Mordred leaped, moving to cut the Servant before he could escape. The Archer smiled.

"On guard!" The 'fake' shouted, and she instinctively raised her sword to a defensive position.

Just in time to see the fields around Archer exploding in flames. By the time Mordred's eyes returned to the white haired man, he was already gone.

* * *

"Two Sabers, Master. And it seems that they were both the same Hero," Karna informed Tohsaka.

His Master nodded, "And if your deduction is correct, then they possess an ability that hides their identity from us. What can you recall about the blue Saber's Noble Phantasm?"

"Clarent Knight Arthur," Karna answered. "A silver sword with beautiful ornaments. It seemed to be more of a symbol than a weapon."

Tohsaka's eyes narrowed, "I know of a sword named Clarent. And it mentioned, Arthur, who I assume is King Arthur."

Karna smiled, "Does that mean you know their identity?"

To his surprise, his Master shook his head, "No, and that is the problem. I know that I recognize the sword, but my mind can't recall any information about it. She is most likely a member of Knight of the Round Table, but that is all we know. This might be the ability you mentioned..."

Hearing that, Karna let out a sigh, "How unfortunate. I assume that researching or learning anything from our information will end in the same result, then?"

His Master nodded, "Most likely. Archer, focus on the other Servants first. Facing two Sabers is dangerous, we might need your Spear to defeat them. And I would rather use your Spear in the last battle of the War. It's too costly."

Karna nodded, "Understood, Master. I will continue my patrol then."

* * *

**Day 3, Holy Grail War: Caster's Lament**

"What a pleasant surprise, if it isn't Saber," Caster gave a bow towards the armored Servant.

"...enough of your words, Caster! I'm here for your head," The knight declared in a distorted voice, neither a man or a woman.

William Shakespeare frowned.

"Ha? You're going to fight me? Good, it seems you're not just a boring fool after all," Saber declared.

"Oohh! What a tragedy!" Shakespeare shouted, his right hand covering his face as he raised it to the Heavens, "To think that I, William Shakespeare would meet a Dark Knight with hidden identity out of nowhere! Could this be what they call _'Death Flag'_?"

Shakespeare swung his hands open, "Indeed! It is as if I, Shakespeare was nothing more of an opening act in this War! What a tragedy!"

"...the fuck are you talking about?" The Saber growled.

The Caster sighed, suddenly becoming calm, "However, I understand that as an Author, I shan't interfere with the Protagonists story!"

Saber seemed to stare at him blankly.

"A small blessing to me, is meeting Dark Knight such as you and the Radiant Archer!"

Saber's eyes narrowed behind her helmet, "Radiant Archer?"

Caster seemed to stop his dialogue, "Would you like to hear? The tale of Radiant Archer?"

* * *

Mordred was curious, this Radiant Archer must be the Golden Armored Servant she saw, how did Caster met him?

"Speak, before I kill you," She commanded.

"Very well! Let this be the first tale that I, William Shakespeare made since my Rebirth!"

...she started to wonder if this Servant was all there in the head. He just told her who he was without hesitation.

William Shakespeare, the Legendary Playwright, writer of many masterpieces. How did such a person be summoned as a 'Caster'?

While she was lost in thought, the Caster had began his tale.

"_Twas but a simple day,_

_Perchance, a meeting yesterday._

_As one trek through the stage,_

_A Radiant Sun doth one engage._

_Tis but a-_"

"Shut up! Enough with the nonsense! Just speak normally!" Mordred shouted, her eyebrow twitching madly behind her helmet.

Shakespeare seemed disappointed at the interruption, but then he smiled, "Should a lady ask, what could a gentleman do but oblige?"

She tensed, "How did you know?" Her Secret of Pedigree should have hid her gender unless he had seen her without her armor.

The Playwright laughed, "It was but a simple matter. The way milady speak, the way milady carried herself. No matter how trained it was, it cannot fool these eyes."

Mordred glared, raising her sword.

Caster motioned with his hands for her to stand down. "Allow me to continue my tale for a moment."

"As one's eyes laid sight upon him, one was struck by an immediate revelation! Forsooth, this Radiant Man could only be a Hero, nay, a Demigod! His presence could be compared to the greatest Heroes of Greece! As one passed through him, he bestowed these words," Shakespeare paused for a dramatic effect, causing Mordred's hands to tremble in rage.

_"What an interesting man you are. However, try to be careful, lest you be crushed by the Shadow of Murder."_

Shadow of Murder? Only one Servant fit those description.

"Assassin. You are being hunted by Assassin," She narrowed her eyes. Assassin, trying to steal her prey?

Shakespeare let out a tired sigh, "Indeed. One is aware the danger of being hunted by Assassin. And as such, one has an offer to you, milady."

"...what?" She would humor him for now.

"Before one's inevitable return to the land of the dead, may I have this last dance?"

Mordred smirked viciously and nodded, "I will kill you without hesitation."

William Shakespeare clapped his hands, "Wonderful! I shall not die easily, madame. Try to make this dance as marvelous as you can!"

She grinned. Her 'fake' might have stolen the fight against Lancer from her. It won't happen this time!

Against a simple Playwright, this battle will be over in a flash!

* * *

Or so she had thought.

Non Sanz Droict, that was what Caster had declared when she swung her sword. And suddenly, the sword passed through him.

It was neither pure skill, nor magic. It was a Noble Phantasm.

Shakespeare shot her a smile, "Indeed, madame! What you had seen was my Noble Phantasm, the First Folio."

First Folio... the collection of William Shakespeare's plays. But what exactly does it do?

"While it is useless against you, madame. I would like to see your dance continue. It is for that reason, that I used it."

"So you are going to use it just to survive?" Mordred growled, "You're not even fighting to win!"

Shakespeare let out a large sigh, "Unfortunately, my 'magic' would be rendered ineffective thanks to your magic resistance, this is the best I can do."

She wanted to shout in anger, but then, she sensed a presence behind her.

"You're here," She commented with disdain as her 'other' walked beside her.

Caster seemed surprise, but then he laughed, "What a spectacular sight! Two Sabers, indeed, such a rare sight brings joy to this humble playwright! Facing a miracle of the Holy Grail War, I could not ask for a better _Dead End_."

The 'fake' her turned towards her, "Is he sane?"

"Why the hell are you asking me?!"

"My apologies, I had believed that a pot could recognize a kettle."

"What did you just say?! Bastard!" She swung her sword towards her counterpart.

Her 'other' self merely answered, deflecting her Clarent with her own, "I think you have that reversed. I am legitimate, you are the bastard."

Then, just as they were about to kill each other, Caster stopped them, "Madame, while I enjoy seeing a Drama unfolds in front of my sight, I would like to remind you that I am here for a limited time."

That's right... This is not the time to fight her other. While Mordred was not one to speak of honor, she recognized other's achievements.

Summoned in the Grail War, she wished to battle against other Servants and slay them with her own hands. Having an Assassin stealing her prey, is not allowed!

"Oi, let's focus on killing him for now."

The blue Saber seemed surprised at her reaction but nodded, "Understood."

* * *

Shakespeare smiled seeing the two Sabers moving to kill him.

It was a beautiful sight. The moment Archer had informed him that he was hunted by Assassin, he despaired.

What if he had left the Stage without leaving his mark? His Name? That would be the worst torture for one such as he.

_I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano;_

_A stage where every man must play a part_

_And mine a sad one._

- The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 1.

He had always wanted to say those words to the world. But he could not do it himself, and thus, he had made Antonio, his own creation to say it.

He had finally said those words out loud, the night when Archer informed him of his inevitable death.

However, now that he faced a sight impossible to men, two same Heroes fighting in the same War, he began to believe that his life was not completely bad.

He was recognized, his name immortalized. While it was true there are people who claimed that his works was not his own, people still know him.

His works, called masterpiece. His name, lauded as the Greatest Writer. He was satisfied.

He avoided another slash, and as the second Saber's sword grew nearer...

_NON SANZ DROICT._

His First Folio, his works, his plays. He recalled the day When the Curtain Rises, the Applause Shall Be As Ten Thousand Thunders.

It was glorious. It was extraordinary. And it manifested as thus. The ability to alter the Result of Phenomenon within his sight. The ability to create his own world inside his writings.

However, it cannot be used against those who are stronger than him. And even if he could use it against the Sabers, he wouldn't. For they are too interesting to be stopped here.

How he had loved the world. How had he loved his companions, those who stand with him in The Globe, the King's Men.

The Grail is worthless to him. He was satisfied in his life. He had planned to continue his works, to watch as the Holy Grail War unfolds.

It would be his new Masterpiece! Alas, it was not meant to be. He would die now, facing against the two Sabers.

But that was enough. This sight in front of him was already a Masterpiece by itself. He could be proud, dying against such a 'Play'.

Then he felt it, his Master's life disappearing.

_Hear it not Duncan; for it is a kneel_

_That summons thee to heaven or to hell._

- Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1.

It was inevitable. As one of the Saber stabbed him, he smiled.

"_To be, or not to be, that is the question—_" He said to the Saber, as blood began to flow from his body to her sword.

"Tell me, Saber of Red, Saber of Blue. Which one will you choose? I shall continue my duty as an Author. I shall continue to watch over this War from the other side. I eagerly await the day you face the Radiant Sun in battle."

With that, William Shakespeare closed his eyes, disappearing without a single regret.

* * *

A silent figure perched the tallest tower of the city. The sun was setting, it's rays sending long shadows accross the streets.

Karna let his thoughts wander on the various people he had met throughout his fulfilling life.

The Hundred Princes of Kaurava. His friend, Duryodhana for whom he fought. His foster father, the chariot driver who took him in when even his own mother cast him away. Krishna, that smiling man who embodied the virtues of humanity. His mother, Kunti, who acknowledged him as her son once, near the end. The god Indra, who adopted the form of a Brahmin to steal his one true possession.

And then, there were his brothers. The Pandavas, whose lives he spared at the behest of their mother. And him.

Arjuna.

Karna pondered such matters and more, while observing the plain, average looking man, the master of Caster, take aim at another man, with a curse coalescing at his fingertips.

The ghostly white mask of Assassin seemingly emerged from the Shadows.

Elsewhere, Caster himself was engaging that woman, Saber, and her counterpart in battle.

Caster was a trickster, a hedonist. He had no love for anyone, but loved the world itself as a whole. Such ideals could not be understood by one such as Karna, a Hero who forgave all and lived only to repay his debts to others.

Assassin turned its bone mask towards his master, from the shadows.

The man Caster was targeting was conversing with a plain, japanese priest in one of the tables outside a cafe closed for renovations.

Underneath the table, The Master of Assassin, a magus of Yggdmillennia house carefully moved his fingers, manipulating numerous, near invisible pieces of metal wire.

Without warning, Caster's master was strung up by numerous strings. The large hand of Assassin closed around his mouth, and another carefully settling itself accross the fidgeting man's scalp.

With practiced ease, Hassan-i-Sabbah squished the skull of the opposing master into pulp, before gradually devouring his flesh.

Karna slowly shifted from his perch, feeling distasteful seeing Assassin's methods.

Then again, 'lack of honor' is what defined an Assassin.

Soon, that woman conflicted with guilt and mixed feelings of love and hatred, Saber, struck a decisive blow to Caster. Having lost his Master, his First Folio become invalid and the playwright had no chance against a knight of legend.

_'Do it.'_

Two simple words from his Master steadied Archer's thoughts. He stood to his full height, and cast a soft prayer to the winds.

_'O Brahma...'_

A bow materialized in Karna's hand, reminding him of his days of endless battles against armies. The wise Brahmin, Parashurama, who taught him the ways of invoking Lord Brahma's guidance.

The man who was being targeted by Caster's master stood, not giving any attention to the dead body now being devoured by his Servant.

_'Wrap the Earth...'_

No, the Yggdmillennia's attention was on the young, dark haired priest.

Kotomine Risei, the master of Ruler and the supervisor of the war.

Sensing a gaze, Karna's eyes shifted towards the rooftops, seeing the red and black clad form of Ruler, the Hero who was both a Saint and a Devil.

A single eyebrow arched challengingly, and a momentary smirk appeared on the Japanese hero's face. Then Ruler leaped off to another roof, heading towards the location of Saber.

"You may seek refuge at the Kotomine Church when your Servant dies...", continued Risei in a bored manner, while the Master of Assassin felt increasingly nervous. He fingered the strings of his puppets, wondering how much effort it would take to catch the priests head between his sharp wires.

Atop the tower, Karna felt Lord Brahma's blessings empowering him, his Divinity momentarily going beyond its limit.

This was the Noble Phantasm that made the Hero of Generosity Karna qualify as an Archer. It would completely overwhelm any opponent beneath his abilities, an ultimate technique passed down from God to Mortal.

_"...BRAHMASTRA!"_

The wave of destructive energy crashed down on Assassin. The last thing Hassan-i-Sabbah saw was a brilliant white radiance; pure power that purges the world.

The explosion of prana occurred in the alley behind the Yggdmillennia master, his eyes widening as he felt his Servant's prana being exhausted.

* * *

When Assassin had been a young boy, before getting wrapped into the dark world of the Hashashin, he remembered playing in the sandy dunes outside the Persian city of Qom.

As one of the numerous orphans of the city, living was a harsh struggle. He remembered smuggling drugs, Hasheesh, underneath piles of hay and delivering them to the dark men underneath the city.

As a child, killing and playing with prey had always fascinated him.

Other children of the streets were scared of him, and generally tended to avoid him after he once showed them the art of dipping living birds and snakes into boiling water.

"You can't play with us, -. You're a freak who tortures animals!", said a blank, featureless boy.

Assassin could not remember his own name, much less the face of one unimportant child. Though, he did remember choking that particular boy to death later.

Outside in the deserts, numerous small and large animals thrived. Hyenas, Snakes, Scorpions, Ostriches. And his personal favourite; the desert lizards.

They were fascinating prey, escaping beneath the sands and leaving behind their tails to fool their predators.

Hassan's mind wandered onto the thoughts of those lizards as he melded into the ground. Pitch and concrete were no obstacles to the legendary Assassin, as he slipped into the earth.

The will of Lord Brahma does not miss. It tore through the streets and struck Hassan, sending unbearable agony throughout his damaged body.

Nearly the entire right side of Assassin had been blown apart, but miraculously, his heart had not been hit.

Assassin was the legendary Old Man of the Mountain. He had killed thousands and survived, the name of Hassan-i-Sabbah spoken in fearful whispers in every corner of Persia.

He'd live through this.

The effects of the drug Hasheesh kicked in, like the comforting touch of a woman after a day of hard work. The pain of having his right side torn apart ebbed away.

Calmly, Hassan spoke in his mind.

_'Act shocked in front of the priest, master. After all, I am supposedly dead...'_

* * *

It was dark. The moon hid behind a myriad of clouds in the night sky. Occasionally, the clouds roared, threatening to erupt into thunder.

Some of the darkness was chased away by the pure white light emanating from a beautiful silver blade. With a flourish, Saber returned her sword to its scabbard, and sighed.

In front of her, a man gurgled his last breath, spitting up a spray of red from his mouth. His head was hanging by a little bit of skin and tissue only, most of it already torn off.

Slowly, the man who was named Caster vanished.

He hadn't even managed to harm her, or the 'other' Saber, making her frustrated due to the lack of action. Why couldn't she fight that servant with the powerful armor...

Her dear father's blood ran through her veins, granting her his strength and beauty. Due to her father's nature as an incarnated Dragon, she possessed a B ranked magic resistance-which rendered most of Caster's attacks ineffective. Moreover...

"Eh, this guy was a pushover. After that white haired bastard, I expected all other servants to be tough.

...apparently not," spoke the Other Saber, the Traitor.

Suddenly, both Sabers sensed the presence of another servant.

"White haired bastard? I hope you're not talking about me..." said the newcomer.

In the dark, only a few features could be made out. He had white hair and a dark skin tone, and wore a Holy Shroud over some sort of dark clothes.

_'...a Saint?'_ wondered Saber. Her blade left its sheathe once more, slightly lighting up the area with its pure radiance. Behind her, the Traitor too brought out her abomination of a blade.

"Hou...what's this? Two Sabers?" Spoke the male Servant in a more serious tone.

"Hmm... according to what I can gleam, both of you are incarnations of the same Heroic Spirit; perhaps one of the Knights of Round Table..."

One of the Sabers charged. Crimson mist exploded from her evil blade. With the thick, coppery scent in the air, it was easy to discern what the mist was made of.

"I am Servant Ruler, the supervisor of the Holy Grail war. Stand down Saber, lest you wish to be...

...eliminated."

The blue Saber's eyes narrowed beneath her helm. She contacted her master.

_'Servant Ruler? Is it even a real class?'_ she asked.

_'One of father's familiars noted that the representative of the Church had summoned a Servant...'_

"You think you can kill me? That honor is Father's only..."

Mordred's unnatural beauty had seemingly stunned Ruler. She had golden blonde hair tied in a pony tail, pale, milky skin, and wide emerald eyes.

But on her face was a ferocious grin.

"Supervisor or not, it does not matter..."

Crimson light wrapped around the silver sword in Mordreds hands, and she charged forward.

"So it seems. I did not want to fight, but if I have to..."

From the folds of his robes, Ruler brought out what seemed like pieces of paper. In a ripple, they shifted into obsidian, cross like blades. Black Keys; the Executor's blades.

The two Servants clashed.

Mordred fought like a Berserker, roaring while slamming waves of destruction onto the pavement. The Black Keys shattered within two hits from the noble phantasm.

Roaring triumphantly, Mordred slammed down her blade, with swirling crimson miasma around it...

...only to jerk to a stop.

Ruler's right hand was gripping her noble phantasm's blade, stopping it directly without yielding. There was an unnatural light in his eyes.

"The nature of your weapon...is Evil.

Mischief, is in your heart. The guilt of a thousand crimes and the sins of the thousand deaths weighs down your soul, your weapon."

The Ruler's hand began to glow.

Mordred leaped back, as Ruler held his right hand in front of him.

"To consume Evil...

...that is this hand's purpose."

"Heh...you haven't seen anything yet. Let me show you...my Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father..."

The Ruler smiled, though his cold eyes indicated his change of presence, he was ready to eliminate Mordred should she attack him.

"Well, bring it then, woman..." he rasped, before rushing towards his opponent.

Mordred's blade exploded completely with the crimson miasma; it's shape as a blade couldn't be discerned anymore. It was the reflection of her twisted, broken ideals, her undying hatred towards Altria.

The Blue Saber's eyes widened. _'No way...that guy...' _

Ruler's arm was only a few feet away from the blade, consuming the evil energy with ease. The Blue Saber wondered if that was his Noble Phantasm, or merely a technique.

Mordred roared.

"...Clarent Blood AR-"

And everything stopped for a split second.

_'By the power given to me, I command thee..._

_...to retreat to my side.'_

And then, one of the Mordred was gone. Ruler's arm passed through the place where her head once was.

The Ruler gave a small sigh, and then turned towards the other Saber.

"My apologies...I got a bit carried away. Still, your summoning isn't seemingly breaking any rules...

...so we'll part ways, this time."

Without saying anything, the Blue Saber leaped away and astralized, travelling in the direction of her master's mansion.

"Remember though. If any rules are broken...

...I'll be your Judge, Jury and Executioner," spoke Ruler softly. His words carried through the wind, making sure that Saber heard it all.

* * *

**Day 4: Holy Grail War: Heroes and Humans**

"I have received reports from the Church, it seems that the Imperial Army and Nazi plan to... interfere with the war."

That was what his Master said.

Amakusa mused the information he received from the Grail.

At the time the Grail War began, the world descended to war at the same time. Among the war's participant were the Nazi of Germany and Imperial Army of Japan.

"There is no other choice then," Amakusa held out his hand. Closing his eyes, he began, "By the power invested to me, I command you..."

His eyes opened, "Come to me!"

Immediately three Servants appeared before him, the two Sabers and Archer.

Amakusa smiled, "Good day, Saber of Red, Saber of Blue, Archer."

"...you summoned us?" The Blue Saber questioned, her voice showing her surprise.

Amakusa nodded.

"How the hell did you do that?!" The Red Saber asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Most likely, it is a privilege granted to a Ruler, is that correct?" The Blue Saber guessed.

The Observer nodded, "Indeed, I have an interesting piece of information for all of you."

"And that is?" The Archer's eyebrow rose, his interest piqued.

"It seems that humans, those who are not Master, and most likely, not a magus, plan to involve themselves in this war. And as thus, I cannot allow you to start your... 'final battle', with each other."

"What?!" The Red Saber asked, more in fury than surprise, "Who dares to interfere?!"

"Armies, I believe the Grail has given you enough information of Imperial Army and Nazi?" Amakusa smile widened when he saw their nod.

"Good, as the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, I command you. Eliminate them, eliminate those who believe they belong in this War of Legends. After that, you may have your battle."

The Servants nodded, then the Blue Saber spoke, "I shall inform my Master."

The Ruler gave a nod, "I expect them to be taken care of tomorrow. Do not disappoint me."

The Servants narrowed their eyes, while they understood his position as the One who Uphold Rules of this War, they did not like how he commanded them.

Amakusa simply smiled, "The sooner you can crush them, the sooner you can have your battle."

The Servants left after his words. Then Amakusa turned to his side, speaking to a shadow.

"I assume you heard that, Assassin? I allowed your existence to remain secret because what you have done is not a violation of the rules. However, you must do your part, eliminate the leaders of those... fools."

The shadow did not change, but he could feel the Servant disappearing.

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada sighed, "Is it so difficult to ask humans to act intelligent? Interfering a battle of Heroes, truly foolish..."

Still... giving them Salvation is his goal, no matter how disrespectful they are, they are part of the mankind he wished to save.

* * *

Mordred grinned as she swung Clarent, cutting one of the... 'tanks' the humans used.

It has been quite a long time since she felt something like this. The rush of battle, the joy of letting lose against enemies.

Now that only the Archer is left, and he is fighting on the other side of the city, there is no need to hold back.

The 'Imperial' Army before her panicked. They heard that 'heroes' from the legends would be their enemies, but they didn't imagine the 'heroes' would be able to destroy their weapons and vehicles with swords!

"Run!" One of them screamed, trying desperately to escape from the knight.

Mordred, grinned, she wouldn't let them. "Clare-" She began, moving to swing her sword.

"Stop," The 'other' her commanded. "Wasting your prana for something like this is foolish."

Mordred glared, "It will be faster for us if we use our Noble Phantasms. Besides, the rules said that anyone who witness the war must be eliminated."

The Heir of Pendragon sighed, "You seem to forget that your Noble Phantasm requires you to disable your 'Secret of Pedigree' to be activated. What if Archer's Master or one of their familiar saw you?"

The Red Saber frowned, but did not answer, the Blue Saber had a good point.

"But defeating them one by one will take a long time," She pointed out.

Sir Mordred nodded, "That is why I will use my Noble Phantasm. I do not require any condition to activate Clarent."

"...that's not fair..." Mordred muttered.

The blue knight ignored her counterpart and raised her sword. Lights began covering it.

_"Clarent..."_ The Blue Saber swung, _"Knight Arthur!"_

Living up its type as an anti-army Noble Phantasm, the blue lightning that came from it destroyed most of the Imperial Army who were unfortunate enough to be on its way.

The Red Mordred watched her counterpart's visage with both hatred and longing. The sight of a Knight with her Holy Sword reminded her of...

_'...father...'_

* * *

Karna fired another arrow, and another body hit the ground. He sighed.

"Is there a point in this?" He questioned the soldiers charging towards him.

"Heil mein Führer!" One of the soldier shouted, firing his... gun towards him.

Karna fired an arrow, killing the soldier. The guns that humans used was nothing to him. His Armor and Earring made sure that no mortal weapons could harm him.

He contacted his Master, _'Should I use my Noble Phantasm?'_

_'No, someone could by watching this battle. If your identity is revealed, it could be disadvantageous for us.'_

Karna went silent for a moment, but then spoke, _'Master, I'm planning to reveal my name to the Sabers in our last battle. Is that fine?'_

Tohsaka went quiet. If he said no, Karna would no doubt obey him. However, it seemed that Karna wished to reveal his name as a sign of respect to their opponents.

_'...yes. Disregard my command, you may use your Noble Phantasm.'_

Karna smiled, "Thank you..." He whispered as his hands grasped an arrow.

He pointed the arrow towards the approaching army, who moved to gave way for an... armored 'chariot'.

It appeared to be the strongest weapon they possess. It did not matter though, for him, they are his Master's enemies.

And he must eliminate them.

_"Brahmastra!"_ Karna released the arrow.

And for the army, the world exploded.

* * *

Amakusa smiled as he watched the Servants of Sword, and Servant of Bow decimating the armies.

"...with this, the obstacles have been removed. The 'final' battle could begin."

Then the Ruler thought about Assassin. Despite his warning, the Assassin did not kill the leaders of the army as he commanded.

"He will interfere in tomorrow battle," Or so the Ruler believed, "I will execute him then."

With a serene smile, the Ruler continued his observation, his smile grew as he waited for tomorrow to come.

* * *

**Day 5: Holy Grail War: The Final Battle**

"Karna," Tohsaka called his Servant, and the Archer appeared.

"Soon, it will be the final battle, and I only have one command for you," Tohsaka's Command Seals glowed.

"Fight with your full power, there is no need to hold back. And... come back with victory."

Two Command Seals disappeared, and Karna could feel the boost of energy the commands gave him.

"Worry not, Master. You have my word that I will win this war," Karna declared.

His Master smiled, "Thank you, now... let's go."

Together, the Master and Servant left Tohsaka mansion, moving towards the park of Fuyuki City.

The site that the Ruler prepared for their battle.

* * *

When the Servant of Bow and his Master arrived, they saw the Red Saber and her Master.

"Are you the Master of Saber? I am the Master of Archer, hailing from the House of Tohsaka."

The Master of Red Saber nodded, giving him a bow in return, "Master of Saber, The younger heir of Edelfelt."

"Oi, Archer," The Red Saber called the white haired Servant. "Are you ready? You won't get away this time."

Karna nodded, "I have no plan to retreat. This time, I shall fight with all of my might."

He could feel the Red Saber's bloodthirsty grin from behind the armor, "Good! Prepare yourself!" The Red Saber dashed, intent on cutting off his head.

Karna smiled as he deflected the red Saber's sword with his bow. He noted that the Servant of Sword seemed to have the ferocity to match the Lancer he and the other Saber had slain.

Indeed, that Lancer... Lu Bu Fengxian. That man truly deserves the words, 'Among men, Lu Bu.' His skills with arrow were equal to the warriors of his time, the Chinese General's skill with lance were greater than his, the Lancer even managed to match the blue Saber in combat.

And most of all, his drive. The same drive he saw in the Saber facing him right now. The drive to win.

However, his loyalty, his honor for his Master, will not lose that easily! Karna tilted his body, avoiding the Saber's sword and kicked her away.

He pointed his bow towards her, ready to fire his Brahmastra.

But then, his senses warned him of a danger.

"Archer, behind you!"

He moved hearing his Master's words. Avoiding a slash done by the other Saber.

"So, the other one finally joins the battle..." Karna muttered to himself.

* * *

Mordred grinned, her thirst of blood returning full force. After facing that pathetic poet of a Caster, a Servant such as Archer was a welcome enemy.

Unlike that annoying Shakespeare with his confusing abilities, Archer's style was straightforward. It is only in such battle, can she enjoy herself.

Seeing the enemy Servant letting out a small smile, she knew he felt the same. Then, as she swung her sword, Archer avoided her and kicked her away.

She spun and landed on her feet, as she raised her head, ready for another clash, she saw Archer with his bow ready.

A Noble Phantasm, she realized. She considered of using Clarent but then...

Archer jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the other 'Clarent' that 'she' wield.

"You're late," Mordred growled to her 'other'.

"My apologies," The Blue Saber bowed her head towards her, entering the final battle of the Third Holy Grail War.

The Saber of Red grunted, "Anyway, now that you're here. We can really start the battle."

"Indeed we can," Archer nodded, "And since this is the last battle of the Holy Grail War, there is no more need of secrecy."

Archer took out his bow, "Let me introduce myself. I am Karna, Son of the God, Surya; He who reigns over the Sun,"

"May I have your names, Sabers of Red and Blue?" The Archer, Karna asked.

Mordred grinned, so he wasn't just a mere Hero after all. A Demigod of the Mahabharata Epic, said to be as immortal with the Armor and Earring his father gave him.

When she looked at her side, she could see that her 'other' was just as excited as she was at the prospect of a challenge.

Their helmets separated and moved to their armors. The two took out their swords.

"I am Mordred, Saber of Red, the Knight of Treachery. I am the slayer of King Arthur," Her Clarent Blood Arthur glowed with red aura, representing the blood of her fellow Knights and her beautiful 'father'.

"I am Mordred, Saber of Blue, a Knight of Round Table, Heir of to my father, King Arthur," The other Clarent, Clarent Knight Arthur glowed with light, the radiant Sword of Peace showing the complete opposite aura of hers.

* * *

"Lord Darnic, I've found the Grail," The Yggdmillennia Master informed his lord with a communication magic, his eyes watching the three Servants battling below.

"Excellent. Remain in your position. Our allies will arrive soon, you are to lead them to the Grail. Make sure that the Grail is in our possession by the end of the day," A voice answered, this voice was calm and cold.

"Yes, Lord Darnic," Of course he would say 'yes'. Any other answer would result in his death. "But my Lord, who is this 'allies' you speak of?"

He could hear Darnic's chuckle as the man answered, "You'll see."

* * *

Now that they knew his identity, Karna's prowess was in full display; Uncrowned Arms Mastership no longer hiding his true power.

An Archer-Class Heroic Spirit would generally face disadvantage in close combat. But it was not so in the case of Karna, whose raw power had overwhelmed armies and gods in the past.

However, the Sabers managed to fight him quite evenly, he noticed that they too, had received boosts from Command Seals

Mordred swung her blade in a downward arc, Clarent cutting the winds with a whistling sound.

In a blur, Karna sidestepped the blow and then immediately jumped upwards to avoid a strike from the Traitor behind him.

The two blades impacted the ground as they missed, gouging out craters in the cracked earth.

Generally, going midair in a leap is termed as a mistake in combat, as manuverability is less. But Karna instead used his somersault as a method of attack.

Channeling his flame natured prana to his feet, Karna slammed down in an arc of fire.

Using her own Prana Burst, the traitor leaped back in time, while throwing her blade at Karna.

With a fiery fist, the son of Surya batted the projectile away.

His demigod instincts screamed, and Karna shifted to dodge a fatal blow from the other Saber.

A thin line of blood appeared on the side of Karna's waist, and the Archer spun around and slammed a roundhouse against Mordred's back- sending her flying at her counterpart.

Karna felt the thrill of adrenaline flowing through his veins; he had always enjoyed fighting multiple, powerful opponents at once.

Memories of besting all the Pandava brothers together with superior martial arts rose up.

The Traitor hadn't had a scratch yet, but parts of her shoulder armour had broken, when Karna had punched her. She was holding Clarent once more, having retrieved it while that white haired bastard had shifted his attention to her Other.

But the loyal Knight Mordred had small burns and a bruise in the middle of her back.

_'He is graceful, like father, and his incredible agility allows him to dodge fatal blows easily. How troublesome...'_ thought the Knight Mordred.

The Traitor fought against Karna once more, his flames flames occasionally burning her as she attacked like a berserker.

He was incredibly adept at martial arts and hand to hand combat, at a level beyond anything Mordred had ever seen.

Karna kicked the girl in her stomach, sending her sprawling like her counterpart.

He then embraced his innate fire, willing his father's blessing to come into existence.

_'O Sun, Become Armor...' _

Both Mordred's eyes widened. That armor, which could take direct blows from Clarent without a scratch...

White light pushed back the inky black darkness of the night, as the loyal son of the King of Knights unleashed the true nature of her sword.

It was the manifestation of her undying loyalty and devotion to Arturia Pendragon, her entire life as the loyal knight given form.

_'For the Honor of My Beautiful Father...'_

The armor encasing Karna shone in the light, and gradually, a massive cape of hot, scarlet flames formed behind him. It was Surya's acknowledgement of Karna as his child; Karna's one, true possession.

_"Kavacha, Kundala,"_ he whispered.

_"Clarent Knight Arthur!"_ screamed Mordred, swinging down the accumulated holy light in a silver wave of destruction.

Karna stood his ground, his lips set in a thin line. Flames spun around his form, and erupted with the fury of Surya himself.

The Traitor looked with wide eyes at her blue and silver clad counterpart, seeing what could have been her in another life.

_'She looks like father...'_ thought Mordred.

Throughout the entire war, her wish had gradually changed, the more she observed her counterpart. At first, she wished for a chance to draw the Sword from the Stone, to show that she was the Perfect King. But now...

Seeing her radiance and determination reminded Mordred of her joyous times with her fellow knights, of the times when she had sparred with father underneath the moonlight.

The Traitor made up her mind; she had a different wish for the Grail now. But the Servant of Bow stood in her path...

A determined look appeared in her green eyes.

Unseen to all, a small, hairline fracture appeared on the surface of the materialized Lesser Grail, from being near to the unleashed noble phantasm.

The torrent of destruction that was Clarent Knight Arthur died down gradually. A portion of the massive park was completely barren.

Mordred panted, wincing at the massive drain of her reserves. Her master too was tired, within the confines of her mansion.

A small flicker of scarlet could be seen through the dust. Flames slowly ate away at the debris, and the regal form of Karna was revealed. His armour was nearly pristine, only a few small cracks in the armguards.

Karna was impressed at the power in that attack. Seeing it fired at Lancer was one thing, but taking it head on was another.

However, Kavacha and Kundala reduced any damage, be it physical or conceptual to one-tenth of the original. And considering his own B ranked Endurance- the damage received left him nearly unscathed; where Saber was now breathing harshly due to the loss of energy.

It was a good attempt, but it was useless against the Might of his Father.

Karna ducked swiftly as a blade sliced through the place his neck had previously been in. A few strands of severed white hair flew through the air.

Fire roared around Karna, and a stream of blinding-white flames shot at the other Mordred.

"Heh, you're secretly a pyromaniac, aren't you..." remarked red and white clad Saber. Using Prana Burst, Mordred gave a mighty swing, tearing the flow of fire apart.

"Perhaps..." replied Karna, as Lord Brahma's will begun materializing, in the form of an ornate bow in his hands. The demigod jumped up, leaving behind a crater in his wake. At the peak of his mighty leap, Karna smoothly adjusted his aim, while materializing projectiles from his own prana.

Then it rained Fire.

"...I'm the son of Surya, after all," he remarked, while rapidly shooting bolts of flame from his bow, his right arm becoming a blur due to the speed at which he notched arrows.

In a surprising show of teamwork, the two Mordreds stood back to back and sliced Clarent through the air rapidly, knocking out any firebolt in the vicinity.

"Oi fake...you're not half bad..." said the white Mordred, while grinning.

"Fake? Did I not make it clear that I, am the original?" replied the blue counterpart.

After a while, they engaged their opponent in close combat once more- but by now, both had realized that Karna was a master at close combat; his prowess in martial arts was equal to his impressive skill in archery.

"I have to win..." panted Mordred. Her green eyes stared at Karna with determination.

"What is your reason, for wanting the Holy Grail?" inquired the white haired Archer, as he gave his opponents some space.

"To live longer, to begin my reign as the leader of my kingdom. To fulfill my duties to my father..."

Mordred was a homunculus, with an accelerated growth rate and a short lifespan. She had died at the age of eighteen, being unable to relieve her father of his burden.

"I wish to attain the Grail...for another chance. A world where like my counterpart, I would be acknowledged, as father's rightful heir, the rightful King of Britain," said the other Saber, in a rare somber expression.

That expression have way to a violent grin, as all the pent up emotions and rage of Mordred the Betrayer surfaced. The thick scent of blood filled the air, and a red mist slowly begun forming around her blade. The beautiful silver sword named Clarent disappeared beneath malevolent, crimson light.

The hundreds of lives taken by her sword, in her thirst for vengeance. Her love of Arturia, twisted and warped by the thousands of cursed pleas she had heard and ignored. A conceptual weapon, that war inherently demonic in nature-that was her noble phantasm.

Beside her, white light again erupted as the blue clad Mordred tiredly maintained her noble phantasm once more. This was it, their final, united stand.

"I see..." Spoke Karna. "Your wishes are beautiful indeed. However, I stand here as the Servant of my Master. And for his sake, I must defeat you both."

Night became day as the fire of Surya burned around his figure like a shroud. He became the embodiment of the Sun God himself for a moment, standing nobly amidst the intense flames.

_'Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father...'_

_'For the Honor of My Beautiful father...'_

Red and White combined, as the noble phantasms of Mordred were unleashed.

_"Clarent..."_

_"Blood..." "Knight..."_

_"ARTHUR!"_

Good and Evil, Holy and Demonic- they were two sides of the same coin; Light and Shadow.

But the nature of the sun itself was beyond such concepts. It is the Sun which creates the duality of Light and Shadow in the world, creating Day and Night.

One, brandished for the Honor of her 'father', for the sake of a kingdom.

The other, brandished to slay her 'father', and yet, still for the sake of a kingdom.

They were both incompatible, and yet, moved towards the same goal. One believes that her 'father' was a good king. The other did not accept her 'father' as a king.

Alone, it could destroy an army. Together, they formed an attack enough to crush an entire country.

_"O Brahma, Curse Me..."_

His opponent's combined attack tore the world between them to reach him.

It was a technique that is owned only by him. A combination of Brahmastra that his teacher, Parashurama taught him and his father's Sun.

It was a technique he made, for his teacher. The teacher who cursed him, not out of hate, but out of necessity. For if he killed Arjuna, the world would be ruined by his friend, Duryodhana.

It was a fate he accepted. He would be slain by his brother, he would not kill his brothers. However, for his guru, for his father, he could offer only one thing.

His pride as Kshatriya, his skill in battle. Therefore...

Just as the wave of destruction was a meter away...

...Karna fired.

_"...Brahmastra Kundala."_

Let this arrow be an offering for his father. Let this arrow be a sign of respect to his teacher. Let this arrow guide his Master to victory!

Alongside the ground, a large Golden chalice, the lesser Grail, was consumed by the blinding torrent of fiery prana.

It was an hour before dawn, when the barrier around the park prepared by Ruler with the Church Sacraments shattered, and a deafening explosion shook Fuyuki. To Tohsaka, Edelfelt and whoever was awake at that moment, it was almost as if the Sun itself had risen an hour early; night was completely eradicated for a moment.

"It seems we have a winner!" chuckled Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.

The blue and silver clad Mordred had been atomized immediately, as Brahmastra Kundala struck with the force of a nuclear bomb. It tore through the combined Clarent, with a force beyond her imagination.

The other Mordred watched the radiant Hero, her vision fading slowly. A smile played on her lips.

_'...white haired bastard...'_

* * *

It was over, Tohsaka thought as he watched the second Saber fell beside her 'sister'.

He had been worried when he heard from Karna that the Edelfelt sisters managed to summon two Sabers.

...And he had to admit, his worry grew whenever he saw Karna talking with the two Sabers.

He seemed to sympathize with them, with their wishes.

Fortunately, Karna, out of all, is loyal. Even if the Sabers, Mordred lives had been tragic, even if they were women, Karna managed to strike them down without hesitation.

And then, it hit him. All Servants had been defeated, Ruler that Risei has summoned was a supervisor. No more Servants existed other than Karna and Ruler.

He had won. He, had won the Holy Grail War.

He let a smile appear on his face, and called his Servant to congratulate and thank him.

"Archer, no, Karna, thank you for all-" He did not manage to finish his words of gratitude as his world exploded in pain.

Bullets rained upon his body, and even before reaching the ground, the winner of the Third Holy Grail War was dead.

* * *

She could do nothing but stand in shock. When she saw Mordred fall in the clash of Noble Phantasm, both she and her older sister knew they lost.

However, as her sister stormed away in frustration, declaring her intention to never return to Japan, she stayed. She wanted to speak with Tohsaka, to congratulate him, let it not be said that the Edelfelt does not take loss gracefully. Her sister aside, that is.

However, just as she was about to speak, the Master of Archer was shot, and before she knew it, so did she.

She wondered with her fading consciousness whether Mordred felt the same, back when she was slain by her own father in her life.

* * *

Karna's eyes widened seeing his Master's body falling to the ground. The Master of Saber, the Master of Mordred following.

It was an dishonorable attack. His Master and the girl were shot from behind by an army of people with strange symbols on their uniform.

Among them was... The Master of Assassin. Magus of Yggdmillennia.

Karna, for the first time in his rebirth on this world, was angered.

The death of his Master and the child mirrored both his own death, and his dishonor.

He killed Abimanyu, the son of his half-brother, Arjuna, by cowardly attacking the child together with his allies. A disgrace he regretted even in his death.

He was killed by Arjuna, with an attack to his back, not unlike how they shot his Master. He accepted it, it was a fitting punishment for how he had slain Abimanyu.

However, these people... they dared to strike against his Master without provocation...

The Archer's mind went blank, his bow readied and he released his arrow. A shot as powerful as the time he fought with Arjuna.

_"O Brahma, wrap the Earth... Brahmastra!"_

The arrow exploded. Destroying the army of mortals and the weapons they proudly brandish.

He kept on shooting. Letting another arrow fly towards his enemy.

The mechanical chariots that mortals used in their war were easily destroyed by the Weapon of Brahma.

The Yggdmillennia Master panicked, he pointed towards Karna and shouted something.

The Command Seal on his hand glowed.

...Command Seal?

Karna turned his head, sensing a presence beside him, and to his surprise, he saw Assassin who he believed was eliminated early in the war.

"Don't let your guard down, Archer!" A shout snapped him out of his surprise as the Assassin was stopped by a boy.

The Ruler stood next to him, one of his hand grabbing the Assassin's arm.

"Disappear, foul creature," Ruler commanded, swinging a Black Key with his other hand, decapitating the Servant of Murder without trouble.

"Thank you," Karna gave the other Servant a nod.

"No need to thank me. I received reports that an army is trying to steal the Grail. I am here to stop them."

The two Servants met each other eyes and nodded. Then they began their assault against the army.

* * *

The Master of Assassin stared at the sight of the Seventh Servant in shock.

The Supervisor found out about his attack. Now, even if he succeed stealing the Grail, his family name would be ruined. Darnic would kill him and pretend that he did not exist.

Doing the only thing he could, he ran, turning his back on the army, he ran until he reached his transport.

A warplane, enhanced by the best magus of Yggdmillennia, capable of shielding itself even by attacks from lesser Servants.

As he rushed towards his seat, ordering the pilot to escape immediately, he sighed in relief.

Then, as the plane flew, and he saw the Fuyuki city growing smaller he relaxed.

Now he would be sa-

* * *

The ambush of Assassin, and arrival of Ruler had snapped him out of his rage.

And with his focus returning, he caught glimpse of the coward's escape.

When he saw the coward's mechanical chariot flew, he grabbed his bow, and an arrow appeared.

_"O Brahma, Curse Me..."_ Karna's arrow exploded in fire. The flames of his father, Surya.

Karna invoked Lord Brahma's name once more, remembering Parashurama's teachings. Lord Brahma, the great Bringer of Life, whose ideals had been passed from teacher to disciple. Karna drew strength from the memories of his friends, and felt the fiery presence of his father guide him. The Sun's golden flames intermixed with the massive, volatile projectile in Karna's hands.

_"...Brahmastra Kundala,"_ Karna declared calmly as he let loose his flame covered arrow.

The plane exploded in the sky, an explosion that could be likened to a Nuclear itself, no, a miniature Sun.

"...it is over..." Karna sighed, feeling the last of his prana leaving his body. His body would disappear soon, he realized.

"No," He heard the Ruler speak, "It is not."

Karna turned towards the other Servant.

"You are the winner of the Grail War. You should have received a wish, should you not?" Fellow white haired Servant asked him with a smile.

"The Grail is destroyed, isn't it? I felt it being destroyed," Karna told the boy.

To his surprise, the Ruler smirked, "How about I grant you, your wish? A chance to join another Grail War, to honor your fallen Master."

...Indeed. The way his Master fall was a dishonor to the man. A victor who was not given the prize he rightfully deserve.

If he had another chance to join the war, he would win for the memory of his Master.

"Can you promise such a thing?" Karna asked the Servant.

Not even a supervisor of the war possess the right to determine which Servant is summoned.

"I can, I will form a contract with you. A temporary one. All I ask, is for you to wait until I am ready," Ruler held his hand out to Karna.

Karna did not even need to think for an answer. He accepted the hand of his temporary Master.

The Ruler smiled, "I'm glad you accept. My name is Amakusa Shirou Tokisada."

"Karna, Son of Surya. I have heard of you, Apocryphal Saint of Japan."

"I look forward working with you, Warrior of Mahabharata."

* * *

**Day ? Conclusion**

A few weeks after the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern confirmed the destruction of the Lesser Grail, proving that the ritual was a failure. They started a development of cultivating a 'better vessel' for the next Holy Grail War.

The surviving Servants, Ruler and Archer were not called back to the Throne of Heroes. With no other goals, they decided to stay with the Ruler's Master.

Kotomine Risei adopted his Servant, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada under the guise of Kotomine Shirou.

Karna stayed with the Kotomine. After finding out that his Master's son was attending Homurahara Gakuen, Karna took the job of being an Archery Instructor in the Homurahara.

The two Servants laid in wait, eagerly anticipating the next Holy Grail War.

_'Next time, I will join the War as a Master, not as an observer. My wish, no matter who I must trample to achieve it, will be fulfilled!'_ Amakusa Shirou Tokisada swore.

_'For my former Master's honor and for my Master's kindness, I will win the next Holy Grail War,'_ Karna declared.

Deep within the grounds of Fuyuki, the Great Grail trembled, a faint trace of black spots colored it.

* * *

**Side Story (Humor or real, take it as you will)**

While his master and Darnic Yggdmillenia conspired with their allies in a meeting room, Assassin waited in the foyer.

He could astralize if he want to, but master introduced him as the 'bodyguard'. The scent of fear emanating from the Führer's top soldiers was positively amusing.

Hassan laughed to himself, imagining ways he could slay every soldier here in under a minute and escape untouched. It was a good exercise for his brain.

Suddenly, a tuxedo wearing man came up and ushered him to an unmarked room.

_'...hm, what's this?'_ he wondered.

There was nothing in the room, other than the padding on the walls, effectively making it soundproofed. The room was empty.

...no wait.

Smoothly, Assassin stepped back and smashed his airborne assailant to a side of the room.

"...damn, you're as good as the legends say," said the man, while rapidly firing from a machine-gun after recovering.

With the boost received as a Servant and his Protection from Arrows, Hassan dodged numerous, hyper-speed projectiles called 'bullets'. In a fluid motion, the legendary Assassin kicked the other guy in the nuts, and stole his weapon.

"Okay okay, I give. You're so cool, dear ancestor!", said the guy.

He wore a pitch black hoodie, and black jeans, alongside black sneakers and white surgical gloves. There were various strategically placed pouches in the clothing,

But most curious of all, was the familiar bone white mask on his face.

"...Ancestor?", inquired the curious Assassin.

"Yes! I dunno which one you are, but I...

...am Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Eighty Ninth supreme leader of the Assassination agency."

Well, what a surprise.

To see the Hashashin exist amidst the cogs of modern society...

Perhaps this second chance at life wasn't that bad after all.

After that 'rough treatment' from that damned Archer, Hassan had been in a foul mood all week. He had to sit carefully, or else his right butt cheek hurt...

In a practiced motion, the Eighty Ninth Hassan-i Sabbah produced a card from his sleeves, before flicking it at Assassin.

Catching it with ease with his long fingers, Hassan curiously observed the hard, rectangular, glossy paper.

Only due to the help of the Grail, he could somehow read that cool, fancy script.

"English?", asked Assassin.

The latest Hassan shrugged. "Hey, it's zé international language... good for business."

Well, Assassin could see why it was good for business. The card was smooth, glossy, and had a fancy writing- alongside a cool miniature skull and a bony, bloodstained hand doing a 'V' sign.

_Dr. Hassan-i-Sabbah,_

_Phd._

_Head of Criminology Department, Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg._

"Huh. I see something new every day..."

* * *

Servant: Avenger

Master: Einzbern

Spirit: Angra Mainyu

Allignment: True Evil

[General Parameters]

Strength: E

Mana: E

Endurance: D

Agility: E

Luck: E

N.P: C

[Class Skills]

N/A

[Personal Skills]

Mental Pollution: A

[Noble Phantasm]

Tawrich and Zarich: D

Verg Avesta: C

Ruler's Observation: A Servant that should not exist, the reason why I was summoned.

The Class Avenger is an attempt by Einzbern to cheat the Holy Grail War system, they replaced the Class Berserker for it. However, the Avenger they received, Angra-Mainyu, is weak. He is below the standard of a 'Servant'.

As an Avenger, he has no special class skill, and his parameters are low. But let it not be a testament of Avenger class. Perhaps there could be another Avenger who is far stronger than him. The Einzbern is simply... unlucky.

Angra-Mainyu is the Zoroastrianism God of Evil, this is what they attempted to summon. Instead, they received a human who was sacrificed as the 'Angra-Mainyu', the All Evil in the World.

I know not how his life turned out, however... As I have stated, he is an existence to be pitied, not hated.

I have dispatched him in the first day of the Holy Grail War, but... I couldn't shake the feeling that I haven't seen the last of him.

He seems to be quite angry at me, or maybe, to the world that sacrificed him. However, I feel that he is quite... 'kind', for the Grail managed to summon him. While he is indeed the embodiment of all evil that only know hate, he is a Hero who relieves the burden of evil from his people.

* * *

Servant: Ruler

Master: Greater Grail, Kotomine Risei

Spirit: Amakusa Shirou Tokisada

Allignment: Lawful Neutral

[General Parameters]

Strength: ?

Mana: ?

Endurance: ?

Agility: ?

Luck: ?

N.P: ?

[Class Skills]

Command Spell Authority: N/A

Discernment of Identity: N/A

Magic Resistance: EX

[Personal Skills]

Charisma: ?

Baptism Rite: ?

[Noble Phantasm]

(Unknown): ?

(Unknown): ?

Ruler's Observation: I was summoned to act as an impartial observer to the Holy Grail War, and to uphold the Laws of the War.

I am Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, an Apocryphal Saint from Japan. I was the leader of Shimabara Rebellion against the shogunate. However, I was betrayed and killed.

While I was regarded as a Saint in Japan, it seems that the Vatican did not recognize me. Well... I cannot blame them, my last words were not of a martyr.

My class as a Ruler is acquired by substituting the Rider class. This is because the Holy Grail at that time can only summon at maximum 7 Servant Classes.

As a Ruler, I possess high Magic Resistance and parameters, but let's keep that a secret, shall we? I am quite skilled in using Baptism Rite, should I face a vampire, I'm sure I can exorcise them without much trouble.

I am quite proficient in using Black Keys, though I prefer a katana... Maybe I can look for one while waiting for the next War.

I survived the Holy Grail War, and was supposed to be sent back to the Throne of Heroes, but it seems that the destruction of the Lesser Grail caused the rite to go awry, and I stayed in the living world.

This might be a blessing in disguise. With my position as Ruler ending, I can join the next Holy Grail War, and once I win, I can fulfill my wish.

Humanity's Salvation.

For my personality, well... I think I am a rather pleasant guy. ...Karna, what are you laughing about? What? I am as pleasant as Krishna? I don't know how to take that... on one hand, he is an Avatar of Vishnu, on the other hand, he is a manipulative...

...are you trying to say that I'm a manipulative bastard?

* * *

Servant: Archer

Master: Tohsaka

Spirit: Karna

Allignment: Neutral Good

[General Parameters]

Strength: B

Mana: A

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Luck: A+

N.P: A++

[Class Skills]

Independent Action: A+

Magic Resistance: C

[Personal Skills]

Divinity: A

Discernment of the Poor: A

Prana Burst(flames): A

Uncrowned Arms Mastership: N/A

Riding: A

[Noble Phantasm]

Kavacha and Kundala: N/A

Brahmastra: A+

Brahmastra Kundala: A++

(Unknown): ?

Ruler's Observation: A Servant summoned by the Master from Tohsaka family using a golden earring he found from India.

His true identity is Karna, one of the Hero of Mahabharata, Son of Sun God, Surya and a human, Kunti.

He is said to be the Hero of Generosity, referring to how he vowed to never turn away someone who asked for favor while he is praying to his father, Surya.

Summoned as the Servant of Bow, he possessed power normally not exhibited by his class. His skills in a close range fight was phenomenal and his defensive power was boosted thanks to his Armor and Earring which reduces all damage to one-tenth.

One problem with him is that his Noble Phantasm and his power requires a massive amount of prana. With Tohsaka as his Master, he could use at maximum three Brahamastra or Brahamastra Kundala until his prana ran out.

I believe it is clear to anyone who knows his Legend that he possess one more Noble Phantasm. I consider it a minor pity that I haven't saw it. However, the usage of this Noble Phantasm requires him to sacrifice Kavacha and Kundala permanently, so I suppose he has a good reason not to use it.

Since Archer is the winner of the Third Holy Grail War, he should have been granted a Wish. However, the Lesser Grail was destroyed and the ritual failed.

After the battle against the dual Sabers, Nazi army attacked and killed his Master. Enraged, he killed all of them, with me helping. After his rage subsided, he was out of prana and would disappear.

I offered him a chance to be contracted with me. And he accepted. Right now, I am counting on him to help me win the next Holy Grail War.

He is a rather pleasant guy, he would praise his opponents and commend their skills. But... well, there was this one time when we found Risei with some... dirty magazines. Karna said, _'I suppose as a priest, you should be ashamed that you read such a thing, however, I suppose it is a man's nature. No need to worry, no matter how shameful it is, we will not judge.'_

...some people in his legend said that his tongue is as sharp as a sword. Looking at that scene, I assume that he had been playing nice throughout the war. Or maybe he is just pleased that he can fight strong opponents. Now that his opponents are defeated, his personality is starting to show...

* * *

Servant: Saber

Master: Elder Edelfelt

Spirit: Sir Mordred Pendragon

Allignment: Lawful Good

[General Parameters]

Strength: B

Mana: B

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Luck: A

N.P: A+

[Class Skills]

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: B

[Personal Skills]

Instinct: C

Charisma: B

Prana Burst: B

[Noble Phantasm]

Secret of Pedigree: N/A

Clarent Knight Arthur: A+

Ruler's Observation: A Servant summoned by the elder Edelfelt Master.

Thanks to their family trait, it seemed that both sisters managed to summon two Sabers, both have the same identity, but different lives.

It seems that Mordred that is summoned by the elder sister, Mordred Pendragon was recognized by King Arthur as his heir. How strange... it does not match with this world's history at all...

Perhaps she is here thanks to the result of the Second Magic. That aside, the fact that she is a female is strange by itself. The Mordred in legend was a man, though this might be caused by people misinterpreting the legends.

Whatever the case is, summoned as Saber, which is considered as the 'best' class, Mordred is powerful. Her battle style is graceful and refined, she is both agile and strong.

Her Noble Phantasm, Clarent Knight Arthur seemed to represent her loyalty to her father, her honor as a knight, and her wish to protect him.

Her Secret of Pedigree was troublesome, even my Right as a Ruler cannot see through it. Fortunately, the other Mordred was a simple minded girl, her weapon and her words about rebelling against her father were all the clues I need.

She survived till the final battle of the Holy Grail War, where she and her counterpart fought Karna. The dual Sabers lost and Karna won the war.

* * *

Servant: Saber

Master: Younger Edelfelt

Spirit: Mordred le Fay

Allignment: Chaotic Evil

[General Parameters]

Strength: B

Mana: C

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Luck: B

N.P: A+

[Class Skills]

Magic Resistance: B

Riding: B

[Personal Skills]

Mental Pollution: C

Prana Burst: B

Instinct: A

[Noble Phantasm]

Secret of Pedigree: N/A

Clarent Blood Arthur: A+

Ruler's Observation: A Servant summoned by the younger Edelfelt Master.

Thanks to their family trait, it seemed that both sisters managed to summon two Sabers, both have the same identity, but different lives.

The Mordred summoned by the younger Edelfelt seemed to be the 'real' one. She was rejected by King Arthur who did not accept her as his 'son'. Thus, Mordred Le Fay.

One interesting thing to note is that, while she seem to be the 'real' Mordred of this world, she is a woman, while the Mordred of legend is a man. Perhaps this is because her legend was misinterpreted.

However, from how she became angered whenever I or someone call her 'woman' would imply that she hates her identity, perhaps that is why she pretended to be a man.

Anyway, she is summoned as Saber, but her battle style is unlike a 'normal' Saber. She prefer raw strength over skill, while there is a bit of gracefulness in her style, it seems more like an attempt to imitate someone else instead of her own style.

The Clarent Blood Arthur, her Noble Phantasm is the representation of her rebellion against King Arthur, and how blood of other Knights of the Round Table tainted her hands. It is a disgrace to its original Noble Phantasm, Clarent. However, its power could not be doubted.

Her Secret of Pedigree was quite annoying. I failed to acquire her identity because of that. Fortunately for me, she is easily provoked, and I managed to find her 'true name' from that. One strange thing is, she needs to disable her Secret of Pedigree before using Clarent Blood Arthur, her counterpart did not possess such 'weakness'.

She and her counterpart fought Karna in the final battle of the Holy Grail War. Karna won and the two returned to the Throne of Heroes.

* * *

Servant: Caster

Master: That Guy

Spirit: William Shakespeare

Allignment: True Neutral

[General Parameters]

Strength: E

Mana: C++

Endurance: E

Agility: D

Luck: B

N.P: C+

[Class Skills]

Magic Resistance: A

Territory Creation: C

[Personal Skills]

Enchant: C

Self Preservation: B

[Noble Phantasm]

Golden Globe: C

First Folio: C

Ruler's Observation: Caster is William Shakespeare, a Servant summoned by... that guy?

Who is 'that guy'? Is he something like a shogun or what? Usually when I'm with my friends, we call the shogun 'that fat guy' or 'that bastard', is this the same?

Father, who exactly is this guy? Huh? There is no 'this guy'? There is only 'that guy'. ...no wait, Risei, a human, usually have a name, you know?

...he is just a random Master that Tohsaka picked? Karna, do you know his name? No? ...oh well. Let's focus on Caster instead.

Caster is a famous Playwright and Poet, it is said that his skills is Legendary, to the point that he is called the Greatest Writer in English Language. ...his personality certainly shows this part of him.

As a Caster, I must admit, he is more suited as a strategist than a fighter. His battle prowess is lacking, and his Noble Phantasm, First Folio is useful only when his opponent is weaker than him.

His First Folio, when used correctly is actually very dangerous. It allows him to manipulate the result of a phenomenon happening in his sight. One example is when he manipulated Saber's sword swing so that it will miss. He cannot manipulate it to strike Saber herself since she is stronger than him, but he could at least make it a miss.

For his personality... he is... unique, so to say. He has a habit of quoting himself, and he is very dramatic. He doesn't seem to be a bad person, though. He is just a bit weird.

He was defeated by a combined assault of the dual Sabers, and Assassin killing his Master, you know... 'that guy'. ...and now we are back to him.

By Lord's sake, who is 'that guy'?!

* * *

Servant: Lancer

Master: Unknown

Spirit: Lu Bu Fengxian

Allignment: Chaotic Neutral

[General Parameters]

Strength: A

Mana: B

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Luck: D

N.P: B

[Class Skills]

Riding: A+

Magic Resistance: C

[Personal Skills]

Bravery: B

Nature of a Rebellious Spirit: B

[Noble Phantasm]

God Force: A

Red Hare: B

Ruler's Observation: Lancer was summoned to this War by... wait a second, who summoned Lancer?

Risei, have you seen Lancer's Master? No? But that is weird... Karna, did you see his Master when you fought him? You didn't?

...he lost his Servant, he should have come to the church. If he didn't, he might have been killed somehow!

Huh? There was no report of someone being killed? Then who is his Master? Is he another Master Tohsaka called?

Could there be a serious reason for this? One of his skill is 'Nature of a Rebellious Spirit', it makes finding a 'king' or becoming a 'king' to be impossible for him.

Could it be... that he has changed Masters multiple time? This might be quite serious... Lu Bu might have killed his Masters many time, just like in his story.

What is it Risei? Can't you see I'm busy? You've found his Master, you say? Who is he?

...this is... his face and name is covered in ink! What kind of data is this?! Let me see...

The unknown Master escaped Fuyuki after Lancer died, on the way, he tripped and fell to the sea, somehow an octopus brought him back to the land, but his passport and relevant information got covered in ink.

...what in the name of... I don't care anymore... let's just focus on Lu Bu...

Lu Bu Fengxian is a famous General, known for his... habit of betraying and killing his own leader. He had a famous saying made for him 'Among men, Lu Bu. Among horses, Red Hare.' As Karna could attest here, they both are dangerous combination.

Summoned as Lancer allowed him to make use of his God Force Noble Phantasm which possess 5 different forms and Red Hare effectively. He is powerful, and skilled both in close range and long range battle.

As for his personality well... it doesn't seem to be as bad as the tale. He seems to be focused on having a good fight, and looking for anyone who can provide him with a decent challenge.

He found it when Karna and one of the Saber fought and defeated him. He went out with a happy smile it seems. What do you think, Karna?

He was a powerful opponent, huh? Yes, quite...

* * *

Servant: Assassin

Master: Yggdmillenia

Spirit: Hassan-i Sabbah

Allignment: Neutral Evil

[General Parameters]

Strength: D

Mana: D

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Luck: A

N.P: C

[Class Skills]

Presence Concealment: A+

[Personal Skills]

Protection from Arrows: B

Battle Continuation: E

Dirks: C

[Noble Phantasm]

Zabaniya: (Unknown): ?

Ruler's Observation: Servant Assassin is Hassan-i-Sabbah, quite obviously. And as Hassan, he clearly possess Zabaniya as his Noble Phantasm.

However, nothing more is known. Not even his 'number' is known. He died twice in this war. Once by Archer's Brahamastra, and then by my Black Keys.

Bluntly speaking, there is nothing known about him. What is known is that his Master plans to sabotage the Grail War, bringing army to the final battle of this war.

Karna killed the Master, however, from what I learned, it seems that it is not over yet. The Master was a magus of Yggdmillennia an amalgamation of several magus houses.

While I would like to believe that he is acting alone, the fact that he managed to get the army at his side would imply that he has a leader. A far more dangerous magus.

I suppose I should keep my eyes open, it wouldn't do if this 'leader' interfere with my plans after all.

* * *

Ame no Kagaseo: Whew, finally, the 20K word monster done! This calls for a celebration, DL-senpai!

Dilost: ...it's still only 1st part of the story though. We ARE going to do the 4th and 5th war, yes?

AnK: Of course, senpai!

That guy: Pardon the interruption, but can you answer my question? How did the Ruler get summoned?

That guy: And why did Ruler replace Rider?

AnK: Umm...let me get my blackboard and chalk.

DL: Aren't you supposed to be dead?

That guy: Umm... no, that's a different guy.

DL: Pretty sure that you are 'that guy'. Anyway, while waiting for AnK getting his blackboard and chalk, I'll answer.

DL: Ruler is a special class only summoned when there is something threatening the 'ritual', in this case, Avenger and the armies.

DL: Though in Apocrypha, the Einzbern managed to 'cheat' by summoning Ruler. In our case, we allowed Risei to summon Ruler to counter Avenger's presence.

AnK: Ruler replaced Rider...because they both start with R of course! ...ahem. Actually, Rider class servants are similar to Rulers in some cases, Iskandar being the prime example.

DL: Hmm... actually the only difference between Ruler and 'king' seem to be 'Ruler must be a Saint' rule. It is said that Amakusa (Saint of Apocrypha), Jeanne (Saint) and George (Saint) can be Ruler. Also, I believe it is said in Apocrypha or Complete Material that Karna is a Ruler candidate, but he refused the position because he is a warrior.

AnK: It was a tough choice, Lancer or Rider. But as Avenger replaced a non Knight class, Berserker, Rider was the more probable option.

TG: Ah, I see... so, why those Servants?

DL: Hmm... let's start with Sabers, why Mordred? Simply because I tried to find a dual-nature Saber Servant. And Altria is too overused, so I chose Mordred.  
Pendragon is based on Altria while Le Fay is based on 'canon' Mordred in Apocrypha.

AnK: Simply put, Mordred has a unique, controversial nature. The knight, or the traitor? Voila, we get the dual Saber of the 3rd war.

DL: Next is Archer. Let's see... I like myths, I know Mahabharata, I like Karna. Tohsaka has a habit of summoning Archers and Tohsaka win the Grail War against two Sabers. Therefore, Tohsaka summons Archer. What Archer can win against two Sabers? Gilgamesh or Karna. I have plans for Gilgamesh, so Karna. And no, Tohsaka cannot summon EMIYA because he is incompatible.

AnK: Archer? We needed a powerful servant, one capable of taking down SaberS. Hence, Karna, who was stated to be in a class of his own, like Gilgamesh. Plus, I like myth, similar to DL-senpai...

DL: Lancer is Lu Bu because the known Lancers are Cu, Diarmuid, Elizabeth, Karna and Vlad. I have plans for Vlad, Karna is already in. Cu and Diarmuid are in canon 5th and 4th (Might or might not be used though), Elizabeth is too confusing to write. So, Lu Bu who was Berserker in EXTRA.

AnK: Lancer...hm, Lu Bu seemed like a cool choice. 'Among men' indeed.

DL: Caster is Shakespeare because Shakespeare is awesome. Nah, that was half-joke. To be honest, I didn't expect to enjoy writing him so much (however short it was), he is an unique character.

AnK: Caster was just a random idea...he turned out quite well actually :D

DL: Assassin is... well, putting it bluntly, Assassin = Hassan, that's it. It's not like I can say 'The grail is tainted, so it can summon something other than Hassan', I mean, the grail is not tainted yet at the beginning of the Third Holy Grail War.

AnK: This particular Hassan is one of the earliest ones, and is capable of Cyber Phantasy. You can observe the small variations in stats and skills, compared to the hundred faced Hassan and True Assassin.

DL: Avenger is... well, Angra-Mainyu because that is canon.

DL: Ruler is Amakusa Shirou Tokisada because that is Apocrypha's canon. And Jeanne might or might not appear later.

AnK: Avenger and Ruler are the canon third war 'unique' servant variants, Mainyu and Amakusa.

AnK: And TG, you're still alive? Despite being the Master killer, we barely see Assassins do anything but get eliminated...at least Hassan killed That Guy.

...We should have made Lu Bu the Assassin. 'Master killer' applies quite well to his legend.

DL: Too much trouble. Pre-corruption Grail can only summon Hassan as Assassin.

TG: Does Angra-Mainyu corrupt the grail?

DL: Yes, the summary said it clearly, also, there are some sentences that implied he did.

AnK: Of course Avenger fucking corrupted the grail. Its his only main role. "stand there and look pretty, get killed easily, and corrupt the grail."

TG: Amakusa is adopted by Kotomine Risei? Kotomine Shirou? What the hell?!

AnK: Yes. Amakusa Shirou Tokisada is Kotomine Shirou- you should know this unless you aren't familiar with the Great Holy Grail War. And yes, Emiya Shirou and EMIYA will be there too...that white haired bastard.

DL: Blame Apocrypha. The differences between Apocrypha and Deutero-Canon are:

1. One more Servant survived, Karna. As you might guess, Karna and Amakusa are among the 'main characters' of the story. There will be several more 'main characters' as the story progress.

2. Darnic Yggdmillennia did not come to steal the Greater Grail himself, so his plan failed.

3. Well... the fact that Greater Grail is not stolen is obvious. Therefore, no Red vs Black War (Nothing of such is planned, for now).

TG: Alright, thanks for answering the questions.

DL: No problem, I enjoyed writing this. The questions simply served as 'clarifications' to things that are unclear in the story.

AnK: You're welcome TG. Now go back to the grave; this not a zombie fic and you're not a Hero.


End file.
